After Long Yuan went in, he told the emperor about Su Muyao's situation. Although the emperor felt that the success rate was not high, he decided to give it a try.
The next morning, Long Yuan arrived at Su Muyao's courtyard with about ten guards.
The little bundle of joy, with her messy hair, stepped out of the room and saw a group of people standing in the yard with serious expressions.
Then the little dumpling let out a loud cry and quickly went to wash up. She had no idea that these people would arrive so early. What about her appearance!
After washing up and having a quick breakfast, I arrived at Longyuan.
They summoned men to move the hot air balloon, along with various materials and dry ice, which had been prepared beforehand, to the open space where the rain-seeking ceremony had been held previously.
…
Following Su Muyao's instructions, the guards assembled the hot air balloon in half a day.
A burly, honest-looking man approached Long Yuan respectfully. "Your Highness has completed all preparations."
The visitor was the third son of Wang Heng, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and one of Long Yuan's carefully selected and secretly trained trusted subordinates.
What are those boxes of things?
As he spoke, he pointed to a large box that a dozen or so guards had carried over and piled together, and asked Su Muyao.
"It contains dry ice, which is the core of artificial rainmaking."
Su Muyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a serious expression, "The drought is getting worse and worse, and artificial rainmaking is now urgently needed."
"Let's go over and check it out. We'll get ready to launch the hot air balloon right away."
Long Yuan followed behind Su Muyao like a younger brother, his expression serious, wondering if his plan to create artificial rain would ultimately succeed.
We are currently experiencing a severe drought.
There has been no rain since the beginning of summer, and this year's drought is much more severe than in previous years.
The crops planted by the people and the cattle and sheep they raised all died of thirst.
As the drought worsened, a severe famine broke out among the people.
Countless people sold their children or even ate their own offspring. Those who had no way to survive in their registered place of residence became refugees, and there was always the danger of riots.
With the barbarian invasion, the great dynasty was essentially on the verge of collapse.
Adding to the fact that the rain prayer was unsuccessful, the high priest blamed the prince for everything.
If the drought continues, the great dynasty will have to change its name and surname.
"Shadow One, go and invite Father Emperor here."
"yes"
Meanwhile, the emperor and empress, disguised as commoners, also planned to come and see the artificial rain that their crown prince had mentioned.
Before they even left the city gate, they encountered Shadow One, who had been sent back by the Crown Prince to deliver a message.
The two hurriedly went back to change into their finest clothes. They naturally understood the Crown Prince's meaning: if the rain was successfully brought down, their dynasty would be blessed by a lucky star.
The order was given, and all the trusted ministers followed along.
When they arrived at the scene, they found that these people were still fiddling with that huge hot air balloon.
The emperor, however, led his civil and military officials to the refugee gathering place. He had already prepared his explanation: if the rain did not come, the ministers would have to donate grain and silver.
But as I traveled along the way and witnessed all sorts of horrific scenes, I became increasingly horrified.
After watching for a while, the emperor felt an excruciating pain in his heart, as if it were being stabbed with a knife.
At this time, the people were still living in dire straits, and the continuous drought not only showed no signs of abating, but seemed to be getting worse.
The scorching sun continued to bake the earth, and there was not a trace of moisture in the air.
The land outside the city was so dry that it cracked open, forming deep red ravines.
Apart from the cracks, all that could be seen on the ground were withered crops and plants.
The once vibrant scene has vanished without a trace.
Outside the city, there were ragged, fleeing people everywhere.
Some of these refugees held broken bowls and begged from passersby by the roadside, while others knelt on the ground with devout expressions, praying to God for rain.
Some people even cruelly sold their own children for a single bite of food...
Similar scenes are constantly unfolding across the land of this great dynasty.
If the situation is this serious even in the capital, let alone in remote areas.
It is no exaggeration to say that the once prosperous and affluent capital city has been transformed into a desolate hell on earth in some areas due to this severe drought.
Seeing the scene unfolding before her, tears of sorrow welled up in the Queen's eyes.
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that such tragic scenes could happen right under the emperor's nose.
Apart from the emperor, empress, and other important officials, everyone who witnessed this scene was shocked and heartbroken.
The severity of the drought has exceeded their expectations.
"This drought is so severe, and I, as the emperor, have made the lives of my people so miserable. I am truly incompetent."
Although the emperor spoke these words to himself, everyone heard them.
In the eyes of the ancients, all kinds of disasters that occurred among the people were due to the emperor's lack of virtue, and that heaven was deliberately sending down disasters as a warning.
The emperor then asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau official beside him, "Has anyone predicted whether it will rain soon?"
An elderly man with gray hair stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and then shook his head in frustration: "Your Majesty, there has been no indication that it will rain recently."
The emperor sighed and then asked another minister, "How much grain is left in the granaries, and how long can it last?"
When questioned, Lord Du shook his head cryptically and said with concern, "Most of the grain in His Highness's six granaries has been used for disaster relief, and the reserves are running low and won't last much longer."
The emperor's brows furrowed deeply as he listened.
Just then, the empress, who was standing to the side, widened her eyes and looked in one direction.
"Your Majesty, look what that is!"
The emperor looked in the direction the empress pointed and his eyes widened instantly. Dozens of huge spheres had risen from the direction they had come from.
After a moment of stunned silence, the emperor asked with surprise, "What exactly is that thing? How can it float in the air like a Kongming lantern?"
Things that can fly in the sky are not unusual, after all, Kongming lanterns already existed during this period.
But for a sphere of such enormous size to be able to fly is truly incredible.
The ministers present all wore expressions of disbelief upon witnessing this incredible scene.
It's no exaggeration to say that what they saw completely overturned their expectations.
"Your Majesty, this must be the hot air balloon that His Highness the Crown Prince was referring to."
The emperor naturally understood that this rainfall might actually be brought about by a little farm girl.
He didn't believe it before, but now he has no choice but to believe it.
Everyone rushed back impatiently, and as soon as they arrived, Long Yuan stepped forward to report.
"Father, everything is ready. This item can be used to pray for rain."
The emperor was caught off guard by his son's sudden remark.
One second he was convinced that this thing might actually be able to bring rain.
But the next second, his son told him to pray to heaven for rain.
"Going to heaven to pray for rain, do you think you know the Dragon King who can summon wind and rain?"
The one who spoke was the Prime Minister. Although he found the thing in front of him extremely strange, he really didn't believe in the idea of praying for rain from heaven.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com