The news that the Crown Princess was to perform the Great Rain Sacrifice under the Emperor's order was like a thunderbolt, exploding in the capital.

The whole capital was suddenly in an uproar.

In the tavern, an old man with a gray beard burst into tears as he spoke excitedly: "Letting a woman represent the Heavenly Family in the Great Rain Sacrifice, the Great Zhou is going to perish——"

As soon as he said this, the sober people around him covered his mouth and said, "Old man, you've drunk too much!"

The old man was quite old and strong. He pushed the man's hand away and said with a burp, "I'm not drunk... The evil concubine has come to the world, and the Great Zhou will be destroyed!"

A team of Jinlin Guards appeared, and the leader said coldly: "Take him away!"

The old man with one hand pointing to the sky was stunned for a moment, and suddenly hugged Jin Linwei who was holding him and started crying: "I'm drunk——"

Jin Linwei looked disgusted and said, "Let's go!"

In the blink of an eye, the old man was pushed out of the tavern. The Jinlin Guard who stayed behind glanced at the drinkers, sneered, and turned away.

The tavern was silent for a while. After a while, the tipsy guests woke up from a dream and dispersed, covering their mouths.

He really got carried away. Even though the current emperor is a benevolent monarch who would not let the Jinlin Guards harm the people over a small matter, to openly say that the Great Zhou is about to perish is courting death, and no emperor, no matter how benevolent, could tolerate it.

The old man was thrown into the prison. He was completely drunk. He rushed over and grabbed the iron bars and cried, "Let me out. I was drunk and said nonsense. Let me out——"

A voice behind him said coldly, "Save your energy, old man. Everyone here is just talking nonsense because they are drunk."

The old man turned around stiffly. Behind him were faces that looked either dull or painful. He actually found a drinking buddy among them.

"Brother Wang, why are you here too?"

The drinking buddy smiled bitterly and said, "I drank too much."

The old man lost his temper and walked to the middle of the group of friends and sat down, staring blankly as he muttered, "When can I get out? I have two pigs at home waiting to be fed."

Others sighed, "Just wait, maybe there are too many people and they can't fit them in, so they'll let those of us who came in earlier go."

Somehow these words touched the old man's nerves, and he suddenly shouted: "The Crown Princess is originally a demon concubine——"

Several hands covered his mouth.

His drinking buddy scolded him, "Don't get everyone involved if you go crazy. Do you really think the current Jin Lin Wei won't kill people?"

Outside the cell, a Jinlin guard sighed, "There are too many people talking nonsense now, we can't arrest all of them."

Another Jinlin Guard laughed and said, "Why worry so much? Just arrest the person first. After the Great Rain Ceremony, we should release him no matter what the result is."

"You think the Crown Princess can really pray for rain?"

"Who knows? It's not our business. Let's go and continue arresting people. These people will have to pay a price to be released. I heard the old man we just arrested said he has two pigs at home."

"You think you like two pigs?"

"Even a mosquito's legs are small, they are still meat."

The two Jinlin guards walked away chatting and laughing.

For a while, the whole city was filled with discussions about the Great Rain Sacrifice. Even the dark-faced Jinlin guards could be seen everywhere, but they could not stop people's enthusiasm for gossip.

April 18th is here in the blink of an eye.

The sky was white in the early morning, the sun was already blazing, and there was not even a cloud in the sky.

Needless to say, this is another sunny day that can dry up the river water.

That day, people in the capital got up early and followed the procession to the outskirts of the city.

There was an imperial palace built on Cuiluo Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing, and an altar for praying for rain was built on the east side. A long team set out from the imperial city and headed straight for Cuiluo Mountain.

The Ministry of Rites has already cleaned up Cuiluo Mountain, and all the ceremonial preparations are ready, just waiting for the Crown Princess to arrive.

Jiang Si walked at the front of the team. When they reached the foot of the mountain, the common people who had followed them were stopped by the imperial guards and could only watch the team slowly climb the mountain.

In order to show his sincerity, Jiang Si changed to hiking, and was already out of breath when he reached the top of the mountain.

"The auspicious time is approaching. Please respectfully invite the Crown Princess to the altar to pray for rain."

Following the official's loud reminder, Jiang Si climbed up the platform step by step to the solemn music.

Rows of boys and girls appeared, dressed in black clothes and holding feather umbrellas. A total of 8864 people danced the Eight-Legged Dance around the high altar, singing as they danced.

"The clouds are shining brightly in the sky. The king said: What? Why have you wronged the people of today? Heaven has sent down disasters and chaos, and famine has come. No gods have failed to help, and no one has loved the sacrifice. Now that the Guibi has died, will you listen to me?"

"The drought is severe, and the ground is full of insects. No sacrifices are made, but the dead are buried in the suburbs and in the palace. The gods are worshipped. Hou Ji is not victorious, and the God of Heaven is not here. The earth is wasted, and I will not die."

"When the drought is severe, it cannot be postponed. Be cautious and work hard, like thunder and lightning. All the people around you will not be left alone. The Lord of Heaven will not leave us alone. Why don't we fear each other? Our ancestors are destroyed."

…

Jiang Si knelt on the high altar with a solemn expression and closed his eyes to pray for blessings.

The scene was filled with solemnity. Except for the boys and girls who were concentrating on dancing the Eight-Legged Dance, everyone was wondering: Can the Crown Princess succeed in praying for rain?

The answer is almost always no.

There has been no rainfall for several months, and the once lush green vegetation of Cuiluo Mountain now looks listless, just like the listless people affected by the drought.

The sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly, so how could it possibly rain?

The Eight-Legged Dance came to an end, and the singing of the boys and girls gradually became inaudible.

"Look up to the heavens, there are stars. Great officials, show your kindness without hesitation. The great destiny is coming to an end, do not abandon your achievements. Why do you seek to do what I want? To offend the people and to make them right. Look up to the heavens, how can I be blessed with peace?"

At the foot of Cuiluo Mountain, countless people knelt on the ground and shouted: "God of Heaven, please send down the rain and give me peace!"

Cuiluo Mountain is not very high. People at the foot of the mountain can clearly see the dark figure on the high platform and the solemn dance music.

But people's hearts gradually became despair under the scorching sun.

Someone stood up suddenly, with a look of tears and laughter on the verge of collapse: "It is impossible for it to rain. The drought in the capital is because of the appearance of the evil concubine. How can it rain if the evil concubine is not removed?"

The crowd at the foot of the mountain was in commotion, and soon many people joined in the movement.

At this point, the guards armed with silver spears and golden swords could only try their best to maintain order, but they could not do anything about these ordinary people who spoke such shocking words.

This is why those in power have always been troubled by the people's speech: it is more difficult to prevent the people from speaking out than to prevent the river from flooding.

As the scene became increasingly chaotic, there was a sudden loud bang.

"What's that noise?"

People were stunned for a moment.

There was another thunder, and people finally woke up from their dream.

"Did you hear that? It was thunder, it was thunder!"

Soon lightning flashed across the blue sky and rain as big as beans fell.

On the high platform, Jiang Si slowly opened his eyes and a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.

The rain came and the wind blew hard, causing her black robe to flutter in the air, making her look like a banished celestial being.

At the foot of the mountain and the altar, countless people knelt down and looked up at the sky, their faces filled with ecstasy, and shouted with joy: "It's raining, it's raining!"

Jiang Si smiled and looked at Yu Jin on the jade steps.

Yes, it's raining.