Chapter 79: Timely rain

From the beginning of spring to midsummer, there was almost no rain, and all the ministers of the DPRK and China were in a state of despair. In order to pray for rain, various methods have been used, whether it is digging wells to drain these things Yuan Luo thinks is more scientific, or asking God to pray for rain which she thinks is unscientific.
As the drought continued, the imperial court also repeatedly enlisted the world's famous Buddhist and Taoist experts to open the altar and pray for rain. It's a pity that in front of the stubborn God, the sages lost the cover of mystery aura one by one, and they were defeated and turned into the object of ridicule by the people in the capital.
In mid-July, just when everyone gave up hope and thought that they could only resign themselves to fate, a strange event suddenly appeared.
When the imperial concubine went to preside over the ceremonies in Huangjue Temple in the north of the city, a dry well that had been dry for a long time suddenly appeared with a murky spring, and the water was clear and continuous. The seven-color rainbow suspended on it is beautiful.
This incident was widely known through newspapers, and all the teahouses and restaurants were talking about this Lingquan news. Many people rushed to visit under the big sun and came back boasting about miracles.
Unfortunately, Lingquan passed away in three days and disappeared without a trace.
However, the master of Huangjue Temple said that he felt the sincerity of the imperial concubine to worry about the country and the people, and Lingquan sent God's oracle over the past three days.
To really pray for heavy rain, you must be prayed by a noble person, preferably the emperor and the adults.
So, the palace chose an auspicious day, and the emperor led his officials to pray for rain.
As soon as the news spread, people in the capital talked a lot. Since the beginning of the drought, it is not that no nobles have prayed. They are all officials of the Ministry of Rites or the Qin Tianjian, and the main prayers are still Buddhist and Taoist gods. This time, the emperor personally fought, with a hundred officials, civil and military, the scale is unprecedented.
"The momentum is quite big, but can it really rain? The master abbot of Dabaoen Temple led the 72 monks to sit quietly for three days and pray for rain, but they didn't ask for rain."
"Yeah, God doesn't want to rain, no one's face is good."
"Isn't it said that there is an oracle? I heard that Lingquan suddenly appeared in the world, and then disappeared.
"I don't say anything strange, I think that Lingquan was just dug when they were drilling a well in the East Temple, and it was just a few days of water."
"That's right, the master abbot of Huangjue Temple failed to ask for rain by himself, so what kind of oracle he said."
"That's not necessarily, maybe it can do this time, the emperor is a man of destiny, the dragon body is precious, praying for rain may really move the sky."
...
Several scholars gathered around the newspaper, flipping through the news.
Yuan Luo not only announced the matter in the DPRK, but also publicized it in the newspapers, full of confidence, and vowed to never stop without praying for rain.
So, in the eyes of the whole capital, this ceremony of praying for rain began.

The clear sky was cloudless, the scorching sun shining on people couldn't open their eyes, and the body was even hotter.
For this grand ceremony of praying for rain, the altar of prayer was specially repaired, and the whole altar was expanded and divided into three layers, enough for many courtiers and nobles to stand on it. And surrounded by silver sails that are several feet high on eight sides, enveloping the entire altar, looking down from above, it looks like a huge pure anemone, and the nobles are lotus seeds.
It stands to reason that standing in this noble place is a kind of glory. In fact, only officials with rank two and above and knighthoods with rank two and above are qualified to stand here.
But those who stand on the wide altar now almost all want to give up this glory to others.
Without him, it's too hot! ! !
The sacrificial ceremonies cannot tolerate the slightest negligence. The courtiers and nobles are all wearing heavy court clothes. They only feel that the clothes are soaked and dry. The whole person is no different from squatting in a steamer.
The top place where the emperor and concubine stood was still a bit shady, and the minister below was a pile of salted fish that had been exposed to the sun.
Poor and noble ministers were struggling to support, although they disapproved of the emperor's behavior of praying for rain. But this is a major event that affects the people of the world, and no one can show the meaning of contempt for opposition.
I can only pray with all my heart, this cheating rain prayer action can be finished quickly, go back and take a quick bath, drink a cold plum soup...
Under the scorching sun, Yuan Luo guessed that the time was almost up, turned around and looked down at the ministers from the top of the platform, Shi Shiran spoke.
"This time I pray for rain, this palace is following the oracle, why hasn't the heavy rain come so long?"
A group of honorable courtiers were groaning, and suddenly the voice of the noble concubine above their heads passed down. Suddenly, all of them were full of resentment. What oracle, your old man, please forgive us!
Yuan Luo ignored the expressions of the salted fishes below, and continued: "The oracle that this palace received a few days ago, this time praying for rain to heaven, one is worthy of respect and respect, and the two are worthy of sincerity. Just like today The most noble blood is gathered here. All the adults are the pillars of the country. There is no doubt about the honor of generations and the respect of identity. If there is any regret, it is sincere."
Finally someone couldn't help it.
"Niang Niang, I'm all sincere and sincere people." Prime Minister Tan said angrily.
The imperial concubine's pie painting is too big, and the momentum is too big. But praying for rain failed, consciously being beaten to the face, so I want to throw the pot! Everyone came up with this idea.
They don't want to bear this pot. You tossed this drama out by yourself, and everyone in the capital and even the whole world were staring at it. For this reason, we were still exposed to death under the sun. If you succeed, you will add glory to yourself, if you fail, you should be responsible for it alone.
Some people even gloated and wondered whether they should let their subordinates spread some rumors after returning, and that it would be a waste of money and money, and it would cause God to get angry. They still remember the enmity that Yuan Luo gave everyone to eat locust soup last time.
Thinking like this in my heart, I still yelled, "Mianniang Mingjian, I'm sincere, and I can tell Sun and Moon."
"If you can ask for heavy rain to alleviate the disaster, the minister will die."
...
Seeing all the ministers in the audience beat their chests to express their sincerity. Yuan Luo seemed to be moved by the solemn atmosphere.
"Everyone is so sincere, and this palace really admires it. The most important thing to worship God is sincerity. Since everyone is so sincere, this palace is not welcome."
Everyone's discussion stopped. Looking at the imperial concubine empress on the high platform, Qi Qi came up with ominous thoughts.
What is this woman going to do?
"If you can't pray for rain in the sky, this palace will burn all the jade and stone." Yuan Luo raised her voice, listening to the cold and solemn death under the clear sky.
She raised her hands up high: "The sky is above. If we can't pray for rain this time, this palace originally intended to burn ourselves on this altar together with the adults, as a sacrifice to serve the world."
"Come on, light it!"
At the same time, his majestic gaze scanned everyone, "Now, to witness...the time has come for everyone to be sincere."
Almost slippery, said it was time to witness a miracle.
Everyone hardly believed their ears. They knew that this woman was so hot, but they never expected to be so hot, so fierce that they could burn themselves out.
"What are you talking about? It's ridiculous!" The first to reprimand was Wang Shangshu of the Criminal Ministry. The fat on his face was shaking. The old man was very fat and he was standing in a seven or eight jin court clothes, waiting to be dizzy. In the past, full of resentment, now the imperial concubine still wants to do this trick.
Prime Minister Tan reacted more quickly and shouted at the guards of the Imperial Guard guarding the periphery, "You can't come forward. The imperial concubine loses her attitude for a while, it's not true."
Even if the imperial concubine goes mad, and they are all awake, how could it be possible to watch the guards come forward and set fire to the altar.
Yuan Luo didn't seem to see the anxious officials. He raised his hand to himself and shouted to the sky.
"The sky is above, and my heart is clear."
Sikonglin had been instructed long ago, and followed her actions, followed by praying to heaven.
Accompanied by Yuan Luo's voice, suddenly there was a thunder in the distance, as if a wild beast was hiding in the mountain, making a deafening hiss.
This scene is a bit familiar!
How could it seem that at a certain heaven sacrifice ceremony, a thunderbolt hit the altar on a sunny day, and a fire...fire!
Obviously no one approached, and no one lit an open flame, suddenly a shining light burst out around the altar.
It was like a fire from the sky in the dark, and a circle of flames quickly surrounded the altar like a blooming flower.
The fire is so bright, even if the sun in the sky can't take away its color, it is the color of death.
After a short silence on the altar, there was a terrible cry of exclamation.
In the face of looming death, most people cannot remain calm, even if they are in high positions all year round, it is useless to hold authority. The nobles who came from military commanders were quite calm, and immediately shouted the forbidden army outside to come and put out the fire.
However, Miao Zifang firmly refused this plea, no matter how threatened and cursed everyone on the high platform. Even some imperial guards from a family who wanted to come forward to help, were decisively intercepted by him.
There was chaos on the altar, and the only thing to be thankful for was that the altar was large enough and high enough that the flames below could not burn the top layer for a while.
But that's it, the heat from the flames spread throughout the sky, making the already hot people worse, no, add fuel to the fire.
There was even a timid old courtier who rolled his eyes and fainted.
Some ministers are well versed in fists and kicks, and want to jump off the altar, but just walked to the edge of the line of fire, a cloud of sparks immediately exploded and rushed toward their faces. Several people burned to the ground, screaming again and again, afraid to cross the line of fire one step further.
There were also a few family leaders who were wicked toward the courage. With a little bit of martial arts, they threatened Yuan Luo to force her to order Miao Zifang to put out the fire immediately, but they were all intercepted by several Jin Linsi masters around Yuan Luo.
A nobleman shouted loudly: "What is the imperial concubine doing? God is kind, how can I wait for me to burn my body to sacrifice? Absurd words..."
Halfway through the conversation, he suddenly screamed, and it turned out that his clothes burned for no reason. He panicked, took off his coat and threw it away, only to survive, but his long beard burned half of it.
The courtiers on the altar were shocked. Since the flames under the altar were far away, this hapless guy was standing beside him. It was obvious that no one had approached him just now, but he was burned for no reason.
It seems that there is really an invisible mysterious power descending on this altar.
The obviously hot weather made everyone feel chilly.
Wei Xi walked up to Yuan Luo and asked with a wry smile: "What the is the empress doing? Even if the adults are really burned here, I'm afraid it won't help pray for rain."
Seeing that he didn't mean to do anything, Yuan Luo waved to let Jin Linsi's people move away.
"How can it not help? If the heavens can detect the sincerity and determination of everyone, it will definitely rain heavily."
Wei Xi turned his head to look at the chaotic altar, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Just like this, what kind of sincerity and determination?
He looked helpless: "Niang, the rain is a phenomenon of nature, and it has nothing to do with our sincere prayers. The so-called praying for rain is nothing more than doing everything to obey the destiny of the people and restoring the hearts of the people."
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Yuan Luo glanced at him and couldn't see that Wei Xi still had a bit of materialism. He directly said that praying for rain was made by the upper ruling class to fool the people. Let everyone see that the court is also working hard.
Some courtiers all agreed with Wei Xi's words.
"Please think twice."
"Please give me an order to put out the fire immediately. Praying for rain is not a normal thing, but I am not sincere enough."
"The oracle obtained by this palace earlier indicated that it is necessary for the nobles of the world to offer sincere sacrifices in order to drop the rain. If the flame is removed, how can the sincere heart of the people be expressed?" Yuan Luo showed a distressed expression.
"Fortunately, the oracle also makes it clear that you adults can replace themselves with gold bodies, as long as they use gold and silver as the image, and wait for the weight of the body, before offering sacrifices to the Buddha, they can replace themselves..."
When everyone listened, they were all dumb.
After all, this woman is still asking for money!
In order to ask for money, people were trapped here to blackmail money with the threat of their lives, and such a big scene has been rectified. There has never been such a bold and brazen "kidnapper" in the world.
Prime Minister Tan was so angry that his beard trembled: "If I wait to express my sincerity according to what the mother said, can I get rain?"
Yuan Luo nodded solemnly: "The oracle shows that it is exactly that."
For a while, everyone felt the same hatred in their hearts, and cast a glance at each other.
First agree to let this crazy woman put out the fire, anyway, there will be no rain, who will pay any gold and silver at that time!
Everyone nodded hurriedly and agreed.
Yuan Luo smiled: "God feels the sincere heart of my waiting so much, there will be heavy rain..."
After speaking, she did not see that she ordered the guards around the altar to come forward and put out the fire. The crowd began to stir again.
"Niangniang..." Wei Xi stared at Yuan Luo.
Yuan Luo showed a subtle smile, put a finger up and pressed it against her charming lips.
"Shhh, don't make a sound, it's raining."
Wei Xi looked at the concubine's incomparable beauty, she was startled, and she felt chills for no reason.
Uh, wait, it was really cold, because the wind was blowing, and a gust of wind blew across the altar, with the coolness that is rare in this season.
Begin with the first drop of rain. Everyone did the same action without an appointment.
Look up to the sky.
With the increasing wind, the clouds seemed to be grazing lambs, and flocks poured in from the northern sky, becoming thicker and thicker.
The rain falling on the face is getting bigger and bigger.
It's really raining!
For a while, the same thoughts arose in everyone's hearts. It was not a joy that the drought was finally relieved, but a fear. how can that be?
Is there really a in charge of everything!
Even looking at Yuan Luo's gaze could not help but become a little awed. Is this woman really favored by heaven?
After tossing for so long, it's finally time. Yuan Luo also breathed a sigh of relief.
It was mentioned in the original book that the rainy day happened to be on this day.
Moreover, the description of that paragraph is particularly vivid, "The sun was shining in the last moment, and the hot weather that I could not wait to melt people in the sun, the next moment, there was a sudden gust of wind, and the clouds came from the north, gathering thicker, and turning into The rain poured down..."
Of course, I remember it so clearly because this is an important plot in the original book, and the male protagonist returned to Beijing on this day. After being exiled for several years, he returned to the capital for the first time as a new military general "Cai Yunheng" and was promoted. "Entering the city in the afternoon coincides with heavy rain."
"Are you all upset? God really heard our prayers." Yuan Luo's smile fell in everyone's eyes, revealing weird majesty.
"Niang Niang..." Prime Minister Tan wiped his forehead. In the end, he could only say one thing: "This rain... really came in time."
"The prime minister said it well, but this is not my work alone, but the result of all the adults working together and sincerely moving God. God is really blessing our Tianyu, so I also ask all the adults to send silver and silver as redemption. The capital. Remember, it must be no less than the weight of the adults."
Everyone:...
Is God blind? Take care of this crazy woman. Do not forget to make money at this time! It's just this money...
The things that make everyone feel scared and weird are not over yet. The rain in the sky is getting heavier and heavier, but the flame surrounding the altar has not been extinguished by the rain, but has been burning hot.
At this time, everyone realized that after the matter had dragged on for so long, the flame had never spread to the altar. The ground is obviously covered with thick woven flower mats.
From beginning to end, the flame continued to burn silently, making people feel a deep chill.
The sweat that was once ravaged by the scorching sun and flames gradually turned into cold sweat.
At this moment, this scene makes people feel a sense of fear from the bottom of their hearts.
Yuan Luo looked at the pale faces of everyone, knowing that this big show had received satisfactory results.
Occultism has always been the most bluffing. First, it relies on the scorching sun and flames to destroy the calmness and endurance of everyone, and then a heavy rain that comes just before it makes everyone hesitate. The extinguished flame scared everyone.
Is it true that there is something in the midst of manipulating all this!
"Masters, please remember that people can be deceived, but the sky cannot be deceived. If you try to deceive the sky, you will only encounter the curse of the sky." Yuan Luo said coldly.
There was silence on the altar. Almost everyone was silent.
After a while, Prime Minister Tan, as the head of the hundred officials, reluctantly said: "The ministers understand that naturally they will not violate the meaning of heaven."
As soon as this sentence was finished, without any action, the flames around the altar extinguished abruptly, as if there was an illusory power that controlled everything from start to finish.
The high-ranking officials and dignitaries on the high platform watched this strange scene and continued to remain silent with mixed feelings.
In a moment, someone followed the instructions of the courtesy officer and walked down.
Walking down the altar, most people couldn't help but look back.
The heavy rain is still continuing, and the ritual has been completed. On the high platform, the slender figure of the imperial concubine still stood there.
The flaming red dress was draped over the body, behind a heavy rain curtain, as if the whole person was about to turn into a phoenix reborn from the flames and flutter high.
For a while, people couldn't help but the idea of ​​kneeling and worshiping.

At the courtesy of the guards and ceremonial officers, the adults left the altar one after another and got on the carriage.
The coachman drove the vehicle and rushed on the road back to the mansion.
Lu Shangshu's car caught up with Wang Shangshu's, and the two cars drove side by side. Lu Shangshu poked his head out and asked in a low voice, "Master Wang, do you want to pay this gold and silver?"
Before the imperial concubine made it clear that it is necessary to pay at least the same weight of gold as herself to be considered golden. Of course, it can also be exchanged for silver, according to the market value of gold and silver. An adult man says he wants two or three thousand taels of gold. According to the current ratio of gold and eighteen silvers, the ratio is four to fifty thousand taels of silver.
And like Wang Shangshu...Lu Shangshu quietly looked at Wang Shangshu's chin, which was several times more than ordinary people, at least one hundred thousand taels of silver tattoo.
The fat on Wang Shangshu's face trembled, revealing a treacherous smile: "I've already left, who would be so stupid, send some money over. If Lu Shangshu wants to give it to you, I will give it, and this official will not give it. It."
Lu Shangshu touched his beard, "Master Wang is wise, I think so too."
The two looked at each other, knowing it, and left with a big laugh.

Back to the mansion.
With the support of his attendants, Wang Shangshu got out of the carriage, and his son Wang Yutang, who had opened the way in front, hurried forward and personally helped his father.
"Father, you are not injured, are you?" He was guarding the outside and only heard of the process after the matter was over.
"No." Wang Shangshu's face was pale, but his expression was still calm.
Entering the inner room, Wang Shangshu sat firmly on the chair, took the hot tea served by the maid, took a sip, and told his son: "First clear the silver taels in the warehouse, and count six thousand taels of gold to send to the Zichen Palace. ."
Wang Yutang was taken aback: "Father, you were in the car just now, didn't you tell Master Lu..."
"Fuzzy, what kind of silver is this, can you be greedy at will?" Wang Shangshu interrupted his son unhappily, "I just talked casually with Lu Shangshu. He wants to get confused. It's his business, I don't Will be confused."
"Uh, let Master Lu know..."
"Fool, you find a chance to be quietly sent into the palace, don't be seen."
Wang Yutang was speechless, hesitated for a moment, still persuaded: "Father, what God said may not be true. Most of today's situation is secretly manipulated by the noble concubine."
The fat on Wang Shangshu's face twitched, "How can humans be able to reverse the change of celestial phenomena? If you say that today is not true, how do you explain it?"
The various visions he saw today really impressed him.
Wang Yutang stopped talking, and he couldn't explain the various visions on the altar before. If the bizarre flame was a trap, then what was the heavy rain that had just arrived.
Especially now, the big raindrops are still beating on the window, and the sound is heard.
Wang Shangshu urged: "I can't afford the gold at this point. The amount of silver sent from Yan'an in the past few months is more than 100,000 taels. Besides, you have exported more than this amount in the racecourse. ."
When he heard his father mention his dark history, Wang Yutang didn't dare to speak, so he quickly responded obediently.