The sky was blue, and there was not a trace of cloud.

Hongchen was lying on the window and looking out, and Fang Yi and the two of them were also squatting there to watch, and they couldn't help but show a worried expression on their faces.

Today's Yingchuan, starvation is everywhere, there are countless beggars, the streets are swept away, and the officials are arresting people everywhere, also to prevent the emperor from seeing the too tragic situation, but when it is really time for Yi Zi to eat, how can it be that some government soldiers can stop it.

It's okay now, if the prayer for rain fails, those people who are excited about the Tao of Long Live Lord and grateful to Dade are probably ......

"Ah Chen, are you afraid?" Fang Yi whispered.

Hongchen sighed: "I'm also a little afraid." ”

On the street, many people can't eat water, so they can only try to go to the village outside to pick, where the village chief personally organized a group of villagers to guard the well, to pick is not impossible, first queue up, but also to give money, just like that, there is also a limit on the number.

Each person can only pick a small half bucket, which is enough for a day.

"Brother, I'm hungry."

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old, white-looking little boy struggled to carry a bucket and half-hugged his sister, "Go home in a while, brother will cook you some rice." ”

After the imperial court's disaster relief grain was distributed, their small people were still able to grab a handful of coarse grain to make do with their stomachs.

"Brother, when is it raining?"

"Long live the Lord to pray for rain in person, it will rain immediately, don't worry."

The young man spoke the hearts of thousands of people.

Mrs. Xu's gang was rebuilding the altar, and at a glance, all the laborers who came to work were sweating like rain. Sell the power to die.

The preparations were done quickly.

Hongchen and the three of them were all invited to the stage, but this time they were not closely guarded, and they were carried in a soft sedan chair.

Master Yang was dressed in a magic robe, still refreshing and refreshing, with fairy wind and bones, standing on the altar: "Miss Hongchen, the auspicious time has come." ”

Hongchen nodded: "Then please invite Your Majesty to the stage." ”

Naturally, the emperor had already moved here, and at this time he was escorted by the Imperial Forest Army and sat in a bright yellow tent, with Xu Taifu and some local officials in Yingchuan on the left and right. I listened to the message from outside. He straightened up his clothes and said with a smile: "Zhongqing's family, go." ”

"Your Majesty is hard!"

A crowd of people surrounded the emperor and walked over and climbed the high platform.

There was no shelter on the altar. There are only big flags that are put up high. Slightly blocked out some sunlight. The chair in the middle was wide and comfortable, and the emperor sat quietly on it.

Thankfully, it's not a dog day. Although there is no strong wind, it is still lukewarm and the environment is very good.

After thinking about it, the emperor called Hongchen and them to the front, and his old man's face was so gentle that he didn't deliberately scare people.

But Long Wei is very heavy, and Hongchen can still be indifferent, Fang Yi has already fainted, and if she is in the capital, her performance will not be dragged out as a royal inappropriateness to punish the crime.

At the moment, no one is in the mood to pay attention to such a little girl's film.

"Can you really communicate with the sky?"

"The women of the people dare not bully the king." Hongchen said softly.

The emperor laughed all of a sudden, and said loudly: "Okay, I would rather you tell the truth, Yingchuan is the land of Longxing, there is no loss, everyone, I will obey the mandate of heaven today and meditate for three days to ask for rain!" ”

Suddenly, the cheers of the storm sounded.

The emperor smiled again: "You don't have to be reluctant, if you are old and frail and can't stand it, go back, presumably God won't mind." ”

That's right, but his old man is sitting on it, how dare others go? Even if it is death, you have to hold on.

Half a day passed, a few old adults behind were a little unbearable, crumbling, Mrs. Xu's complexion was not very good, he looked up at the sky, it was still cloudless, or the old eunuch was clever enough, and he explained, and all kinds of decoctions were ready.

When it was time to eat, the food enjoyed by the emperor was mostly light and nutritious.

Time passed slowly, and the mood of the common people became more and more irritable.

Many officials looked at Hongchen and pointed, their eyes became strange, and those officers and soldiers also looked bad.

Three days is not long to say, short is not short.

Some people feel like it's a long time, while others feel like it's too short, as if it's coming in the blink of an eye.

Fang Yi felt that the time was too short, and looked at the sky for a while, his eyes were red, and he turned his head to look at Hongchen. She must know that Hongchen muttered in her heart - being an emperor is really the same as those powerful people say, and the shame is off the charts! In front of so many people, eating, drinking, lazing and sleeping, making people watch, that is not uncomfortable at all.

Because the emperor can't get off the altar, even to solve the physiological problem, it is a group of eunuchs who go up to serve, it is really under the watchful eye of the public, of course, no idiot official should dare to look up at the dragon buttocks of the long live lord.

In the evening, the time was almost up.

Yang Shi stepped forward and frowned: "Your Majesty, there is still half an hour." ”

Half a moment passed in a flash—the sky was still clear.

The emperor was also tired, and his heart was full of anger.

Although the seat is very comfortable, and the eating and drinking are good, just sitting there, under the attention of so many people, I can't move casually, I can only move my hands and feet slightly, and I can't stand it when someone gives me a massage.

The emperor's gaze swept down coldly, sweeping through the red dust, like a knife.

Fang Yi was paralyzed early.

The people were making louder noises, and many people were nervous.

The emperor didn't show any rage, but just coldly asked people to bring Hongchen to the altar, lowered his head and asked, "You said that the heavens promised rain, but what about the rain?" ”

"Your Majesty, although the time has come, Your Majesty has not yet announced that the living sacrifice will be abolished in the future." Her voice was not very high, but she didn't know what was going on, and when she went up to the altar, the voice spread all at once, and all the people below could hear it.

The crowd looked up and stared straight at the emperor.

The emperor lowered his head slightly, and saw Xia Hongchen standing on the altar, the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, motionless, very calm, without the slightest panic, and the anger in his heart also calmed down slightly: "Do you know that if the rain does not fall, you are a bully?" ”

"Hongchen said that if there is a word of falsehood, I would rather suffer a thousand cuts."

The emperor immediately smiled: "That's fine." It's just that I don't like torture, so it's better not to damage my reputation as a benevolent king. ”

The voice of these words was not high, so Hongchen and the old eunuch beside him could hear it.

Although he didn't know what the emperor was talking to Hongchen, the officials below were silent and didn't dare to say a word, and Mrs. Xu closed his eyes, his heart pounding.

The big black man was uncomfortable: "Hey, I knew it was like this, where is Miss Hongchen!" Although he didn't understand why the fire didn't burn that day. But it's not a good thing that it can't be burned. If they work harder, maybe Miss Hongchen won't have to die, and she will be in the limelight!

But at this point, he couldn't think of any way to save him. You can only resign yourself to fate.

The big black man prayed silently. I hope the old man can really open his eyes. Give this amazing girl a way out.

The emperor stood up and gave the great eunuch beside him a look.

And the great eunuch shouted his voice.

Most of the people at the bottom don't understand it very well, anyway, the general meaning is. Your Majesty, with kindness in his heart, abolished the living sacrifices, and made sacrifices in the future, using only dead things.

End of proclamation.

Everyone held their breath.

Hongchen took a step gently, raised his hand, raised a talisman, and said in a loud voice: "Please ask the water god to spread the rain." ”

There was no rain dance.

It's not like Master Yang, who recites incantations and drives the magic circle.

There was no need for any sacrifices, just a plain word.

Suddenly the wind rose in midair.

The wind swept in, blowing the hems of people's clothes, the flags on the altar fluttered and rolled, and suddenly there was a thick cloud in the sky.

The clouds are getting denser and denser, gradually blocking out the sun.

The emperor squinted his eyes, stretched out his hand, and touched the raindrops flying on his cheeks, and a trace of shock flashed in his eyes.

He didn't ask for rain.

When there was a great drought in Beijing, the emperor personally begged for rain, and then the rain came, and the people said that he was the true son of heaven, so he would succeed in asking for rain, but he himself understood that Qin Tianjian had long been optimistic, and he would never let him have any problems with asking for rain.

Hongchen took another step, she was wearing an ordinary magic robe today, no different from the spirit girl in the palace, but she was stunned to wear this kind of uniform out of immortal energy.

"Please ask the water god to spread the rain!"

A bolt of lightning swept through the sky and exploded directly above Hongchen's head.

Boom.

With the sound of thunder, the canopy cracked one after another, and raindrops the size of soybeans poured down.

There was an exclamation from under the altar.

I don't know how many people are overjoyed.

Mrs. Xu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and her face couldn't help but be overjoyed, the rain became heavier and heavier, as if they were connected.

"Ahh Look, my lord! ”

The big black man was dumbfounded.

Everyone was also stunned, and even the ordinary people who desperately opened their mouths to catch water and drank them all knelt on the ground.

Suddenly there was a colorful bridge in the sky, and on the colorful bridge, a huge two-headed dragon pulled a magnificent carriage and roared past, and walked to the top of Hongchen's head, and turned around, Hongchen was blessed, and said thank you softly, and the carriage roared away.

"Are you dreaming?"

The big black man was dizzy.

After being stunned for a long time, those ministers suddenly came back to their senses, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed in unison: "Your Majesty is blessed!" ”

"Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!"

"My lord is blessed with heaven!"

Even if it is His Majesty the Emperor, today's scene is probably rare in his life.

The heavy rain has been falling for more than half an hour, and I don't know if it is an illusion, the people who are bathed in the rain on this day always feel that their spirit is much better, not to mention that the white hair turns black, but the waist is straight, the legs are not painful, the voice is louder, and the flowers and plants on the ground are also sprouting.

However, because it is spring, everything is recovering, and some people think it is an illusion.

Hongchen pulled Fang Yi and the two of them, standing in the rain all the time, and didn't even want to get into the carriage on the way back.

Others don't know, but she knows, from knowing that there is a sacrifice to the sky and asking for rain, she began to prepare, to later help build the altar, and then to this series of events, don't look like it's very easy, in fact, she also took a lot of effort, and if she didn't do it well, it was just a joke with her life.

Don't say anything else, if the last talisman can't attract the water god Xuan Mingzi, or Xuan Mingzi doesn't give her this face, everything will be in vain.

Back at the post station, Fang Yi fell asleep upside down, and Hongchen was so tired that he didn't move all night. Obviously, the first rain laid by Xuan Mingzi, although it has some nourishing effects, must also be subtle and imperceptible, and it cannot be seen immediately.

So much so that I couldn't get up at all when I got up early the next day, and I barely came out to eat until three o'clock in the morning, and my body was so stiff that it hurt when I moved.

She was okay, Fang Yi began to have a fever, and she burned in a daze. If it weren't for His Majesty bringing the imperial doctor. Hongchen is now the time to be red again, and the imperial doctor also gave face, and quickly prescribed medicine, and her body is not bad. But it was relieved in two days. Rejuvenate your spirits.

Two people survived. It took half a day to relieve himself, cry a lot, and laugh for a long time. It's like crazy.

Capital

Xia family

Xia Chan sat in the quiet room copying scriptures, her face was a little pale, and the little maid brought tea in, and stuffed a note in her palm.

When he opened it, Xia Cicada's expression brought out a little surprise and some surprise.

"Good luck ......"

After a while, another maid came to clean up the scriptures that had been piled up on the table, and Xia Chan smiled and said, "I'm so tired, we should all rest." ”

The little maid hurriedly smiled and said, "It's time for Miss to rest, copy these scriptures, be careful with your hands, and be careful with your eyes." ”

She added some lamp oil to Xia Cicada.

Xia Chan sent the maid out, crooked on the cushion, his eyebrows lowered - the emperor is in Yingchuan, and the people around him are not easy to fool, and fortunately her people are not there, but the people of the 'quicksand' are not too reliable, however, Mrs. Yu is a big Buddha, and there are many people who want the Buddha to fall, I don't know if the woman will become a pond fish that is affected, if it is really folded in it, it will save her a lot of things.

"Hey!"

Xia Chan sighed, "Why is that person's luck so good!" ”

It's like a cockroach, the vitality is so strong that it is stubborn, no matter how you step on it, you can't step on it, and the diaphragm should die!

If Hongchen knew Xia Cicada's distress, she couldn't say that she would happily eat two more bowls of rice, but unfortunately she didn't know, and she only ate half a bowl of porridge for breakfast.

Fang Yi got up from the hospital bed, grabbed Hongchen with tears in his eyes: "Thank you, thank you!" ”

Nothing but say thank you.

In addition, Li Xiaochubby was so big that he didn't dare to catch her, but his face was also full of excitement, his eyes were shining and looking at her face, it seemed that Hongchen said a word at this time, let him go to the soup, and he was also happy.

"Miss Hongchen!"

Several people were excited there, confiding in each other about the shock they had received for a while, and suddenly someone outside greeted them.

Fang Yi clutched his chest suddenly, his heart fluttering.

The little fat man hugged the big teapot on the table all of a sudden.

"Is it that you want us to make sacrifices?"

His voice was sharp, and he was about to cry, Hongchen couldn't cry or laugh: "How is it possible, don't scare yourself, Your Majesty's golden mouth and jade words, it is true that there should be a reward." ”

As he spoke, he walked out of the room, and sure enough, he saw Mrs. Xu standing at the door with a smile on his face, and the big eunuch beside His Majesty came with him.

The big eunuch was very kind: "Miss Hongchen, since you came to the capital, Xue Gong has sent me three letters, asking me to take care of you, but unfortunately I didn't do well, and I was scolded by him when I turned around." ”

Hongchen hurriedly thanked: "Eating and living along the way, May Day is not good, and Lord Xu is accompanying him, who can say that his father-in-law deserves it well!" ”

This is still sincere, Qin's travel is also a chore, if there is no care of the great eunuch in the palace, I don't know how much suffering I have to endure along the way.

The big eunuch pinched the dust and chuckled: "This time I came to ask, tomorrow Your Majesty will hold a ceremony to sacrifice to the heavens and pray for the blessings of the Jiangshan Sheji, do you want to take a look?" ”

Hongchen was stunned.

Fang Yi and the two were still ignorant, but she knew that what the big eunuch said was to take a look, not to watch outside, but to ask if she wanted to go to the altar.

"This time, Mrs. Yu personally danced the blessing dance, I'm afraid it will be the last time, it's a rare opportunity!"

Hongchen thanked him when he arrived, took the post of the big eunuch, he couldn't see it from the outside, and sent the two away calmly, but when he turned around, he slowly sat on the chair and couldn't help but exhale - Mrs. Yu!

At that time, Xia Cicada was like a demon and wanted to be Mrs. Yu's apprentice, just because of that palace banquet, the blessing dance she danced was said by the one who had aura, Xia Cicada actually pouted Wang Rui in front of many ladies of the family, mocking her life experience, and said lightly that she was more knowledgeable than other ladies, knew what Qinglou looked like, and didn't know if she had learned such fox methods!

It wasn't the first time Hongchen was humiliated, she even dealt with it very decently, she didn't lose her temper at all, and she didn't make things worse. But when she went back, she vomited blood, at that time, she was only in her twenties, and since then her body has been weak, and she has suffered for many years, and her body has been burned.

In fact, Xia Chan, like herself, has never even seen Mrs. Tai, her old man left Beijing to live in seclusion and recuperate very early, and she no longer mixes with the rights and wrongs of the court. Although he was a trusted old man by the Queen Mother's side. He is also recognized as the first person to dance the blessing dance.

One year, His Royal Highness King Jing's eldest son was seriously ill and couldn't be cured, and even the imperial doctor said that he was afraid that he would be hopeless. King Jing went to kneel and begged Mrs. Tai, who had already enjoyed her old age, to ascend the altar again. As a result, the blessing dance was completed. The son of the King Jing family sat up straight from the soft seat, ate two bowls of porridge, and asked the imperial doctor to go down with two needles. Life is extended......

This old man can be called one of the legends of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Most of the strange people are transparent, and they also have discerning eyes, just like Xia Chan, a secular person who draws from the camp, it is impossible for him to be included in the door wall, when Xia Cicada asked Xia Shijie to find a relationship to ask the old lady to go, Mrs. Yu is straight, and said directly - "I only think about my own blessing and longevity, dancing the blessing dance will only disgust the heavens, you can't do it, don't dance in the future." ”

In a word, Xia Chan never got the opportunity to dance the blessing dance in the second half of her life, which also became a stain on her life.

Later, Mrs. Yu died, Xia Cicada gained momentum, and the Yu family inexplicably had problems with the blessing dance twice, and once it danced, and many officials passed out, and then some people said that the Yu family could no longer afford such a heavy responsibility, and their hearts were insincere, and their intentions were not right, and the children of the Yu family also collapsed, and gradually became a third-rate family.

"Fortunately, my life was saved."

Hongchen thought, the people of the Yu family are not serious about fame and fortune, all of them are sincere gentlemen, and King Li has always been willing to maintain three points for a creature like a gentleman, presumably the Yu family should be able to make a comeback.

The Yingchuan disaster relief is still ongoing.

However, because of this heavy rain, the ground was watered and the drought was relieved at once, and there were two more drizzles in the past two days.

Spring rain is as expensive as oil, the more rain the better, Mrs. Xu and they are very happy, they are interested, they must invite Hongchen to dinner.

Let's eat, this person has to play the mood of the literati, and they go to the suburbs and villages with Hongchen, bathing in the wind and rain, and sitting on the ground.

"A plough full of spring rain, a hint of clear wind. Happy to be happy, its only one is a man. ”

The old man was moisturized, holding a fishing rod while fishing, and at the same time talking to the old farmers who were resting after plowing the land, occasionally eating two bites of fresh dishes made by his cooks, where could he afford to let the red dust thrown aside?

Fang Yi and the others were very happy, wishing that all the gatherings would be as comfortable as today.

It was not only Mrs. Xu who was invited to the banquet, but also the dignitaries who came with him, and held several small banquets, and Hongchen was a few guests.

There are also those noble ladies, and even have the interest of being a matchmaker, like her, sixteen years old, the age of marriage, it is inevitable that she will be looked at horizontally and vertically for a long time, although the sight is a little obscure, but it still makes people's scalp tingle.

Fang Yi couldn't stand it at all, and saw that Hongchen could cope with it easily, and she admired it even more.

Speaking of which, in fact, Fang Yi is the same age as Hongchen, and according to her real age, I am afraid that she is still a few months older than her.

Hongchen can handle it, but he still prefers to sit on the hillside, enjoy the beautiful spring scenery, and eat the food he ordered.

She brought a lot of ingredients from home, all of which were grown by herself, and the seeds were very special, and Shikoku could not find them, so she instructed the cook, and the fish cooked was fragrant, and as soon as the lid of the pot was lifted, everyone couldn't help but suck their saliva.

Not far away, a group of people smelled the fragrance, and the one headed by him looked up and saw Hongchen, and was surprised: "Huh? ”

Hongchen turned his head and blinked, feeling strange in his heart - this old lady is so familiar!

She has a good memory, but this time she just feels very familiar, and she can't remember which acquaintance she is!

"This young lady, I have meat sauce with me, do you want us to make a dish?"

As soon as the old lady spoke, Hongchen came back to her senses, this person was the old man who passed by the small mountain village that day and gave her a bowl of noodles.

No wonder she couldn't remember that at that time, the old lady was dressed in coarse cloth and did not wear jewelry, only wrapped her hair in coarse blue cloth, but now she was hugging each other, dressed like the old Fengjun, and the guards around her were also powerful.

"Meeting is fate, please sit down, old lady, your meat sauce, I still drool when I think about it."

Hongchen looked greedy, to make the old lady laugh, but anyone who likes to cook, they like others to cheer, saying that she is delicious, no matter how deep the old man's experience is, he can't avoid vulgarity, happily take out the meat sauce, the noodles are not, but there are cakes, smeared on them, and they are still very sweet to eat.

Food can best shorten the distance between people, two foodies get together, but there is something to talk about, and after a while, Hongchen and the old lady are familiar with each other, although they are all ordinary trivial matters, but they are quite deed.

While they were chatting, there was another sound of footsteps from far and near.

"Above, let's go above, the scenery is the best."

There was a soft voice with a little stubbornness, and before anyone saw it, they saw more than a dozen healthy servants sweeping the grass on the ground with knives, and went straight to the hillside, and they were also stunned when they saw Hongchen.

A leading man in black walked over directly and threw down a snow-white silver ingot: "This is a reward for you, hurry up and retreat, my young lady is coming to enjoy the scenery." (To be continued......)