It’s hard to break a phoenix’s destiny

Chapter 670: A Grand Prayer for Rain

The scene was grand, and indeed this time it was the most grand one.

After Liu Yao helped Yang Xianrong get off the carriage, Yuan Jianshuo and another group of soldiers lit all the firecrackers, and the sound of thunder resounded throughout the world. Everyone's heart was shaking, and the less courageous ones sat directly on the ground.

Liu Yao held Yang Xianrong's waist and paused for a moment. He whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid."

Yang Xianrong couldn't help laughing and pressed Liu Yao's big hand.

The two just stood there, waiting for the earth-shattering noise to end.

When the smoke gradually dispersed, Liu Yao took Yang Xianrong's hand and continued to move forward. At this time, Yuan Jianshuo and Zhang Heng were holding firecrackers in their hands, secretly counting their steps. They threw a firecracker with every step, which was even more shocking. Every step was extremely steady, making everyone present hold their breath and watch the two people slowly move forward.

It was a hundred feet away, but it was extremely shocking.

When the two finally walked to the incense table, Liu Yao said to Yang Xianrong in a loud voice: "Madam, is there any meaning in this earth-shaking sound?"

"Of course we have to tell the Dragon King and the Jade Emperor that today the great general of the Han Empire led the people and soldiers of Chang'an City to pray sincerely to God for an early rain." Yang Xianrong smiled, and the light flowing between her eyebrows made people feel moved even if they were a hundred feet away.

"Thank you, Madam, for your advice." Liu Yao was quite polite and even bowed to Yang Xianrong. Then he said, "Madam, you have a noble destiny to take on this important task. You should pray to the gods for the people of Chang'an and the Han Dynasty. Thank you for your hard work."

"For the sake of the people of the world, what's the harm in suffering a little?" Yang Xianrong's expression also became serious. Liu Yao stood aside, quietly waiting for her next move.

Yang Xianrong had already straightened her dress and turned to look at everyone. Everyone was still kneeling on the yellow earth. The sun was scorching even more fiercely, and the explosion of the firecrackers just now made the dust still flutter in the air.

The positions in the rain-praying ceremony were very particular. Soldiers stood at the periphery to maintain order. The common people had to kneel at the back, while the wealthy merchants and officials of the Han Dynasty stood at the front. According to the rank of their official positions, the higher-ranking officials stood at the front.

Jin Zhun and others stood in the front row, their faces filled with displeasure.

Because he was already very annoyed, Yang Xianrong had made such a big scene, and they all had to wear neat official uniforms, and they were already soaked from the heat. As a result, she still had to inspect the whole place, which seemed like she was deliberately slowing down.

The wealthy merchants and gentry were standing in the second row, but they also saw it clearly. They were whispering something, and they all stared at Yang Xianrong's face.

Yang Xianrong shook her skirt and asked Liu Yao to hand her the lit torch. Then she walked towards the three long incense sticks with the torch in her hand.

Just as she was about to light the incense stick, she suddenly said, "This incense stick is made according to the ancient method. Why does it need a wooden stick to support it? Take it down quickly. The Jade Emperor doesn't like this kind of regulation the most."

"Yes!" Yuan Jianshuo and Zhang Heng had no doubts and immediately carried out the order. They had already drawn their long swords and cut off the wooden sticks at the bottom of the three long incense sticks with a flash of cold light.

Then, without any pause, Yang Xianrong used a torch to light a long incense stick as thick as her arm and as tall as a person. She bowed three times towards the sky and said, "Heaven in heaven, I, Yang Xianrong, pray to heaven on behalf of the people of Chang'an. I request the gods to have pity on the suffering of the people in the lower world and send down rain and dew as soon as possible to save the people." Because she was pregnant, she did not kneel down, but just stood in front of the incense table.

Liu Yao knelt down, and after listening to Yang Xianrong's words, he immediately raised his hands high and kowtowed. The officials and people behind him immediately followed suit, and the scene was truly spectacular.

The three long incense sticks had been lit. Because there was no wind, the incense sticks that should have burned secretly now emitted blue flames, distorting the incense table and Yang Xianrong's figure. When everyone looked up again after kowtowing three times, it even seemed extremely unreal.

However, there was no response from God.

The sun is still high in the sky and as hot as ever.

Yang Xianrong handed the torch to Liu Yao, and looked up at the sky again, saying loudly: "If we still cannot move heaven and earth today, it means that we still have done something wrong, and the gods are still not satisfied. Well, it has not rained for a long time to punish us. So, now, we will punish ourselves first and kneel here for a long time! Under the long incense is saltpeter. When the long incense burns to the bottom, it will cause a big explosion and kill us all!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone behind him became uneasy.

They just thought it was very strange that they didn't use a big tripod, but three bamboo baskets. Later, they heard Li Lianhua say that the three big baskets were filled with saltpeter, and they felt something was wrong.

But later Li Lianhua had people spread corn, and it seemed that this was the right thing to do. But no one expected that Yang Xianrong would do this. Did she want everyone to die here?
Jin Zhun, who was standing in the front row, was very nervous and was about to stand up to see what was going on.

But Yang Xianrong actually held her belly, knelt down with great effort, raised her head and shouted loudly to the sky, "It is not a pity for me to die, but in order to save the people of this dawn, I beg God to send rain quickly!"

Her voice was sharp and her pronunciation was clear. Even the common people at the back could hear it. They couldn't help but kowtow again and shouted sincerely: "I beg God to send rain soon! I beg God to send rain soon! I beg God to send rain soon!"

After kowtowed three times with great effort, Yang Xianrong stood up with the help of Liu Yao, and asked Yuan Jianshuo and Zhang Heng to insert three long incense sticks into the basket one by one. Then he shouted again: "I beg God to send rain soon!"

At this time, everyone standing in the front row was panicked.

Because it was obvious that the lower half of the long incense stick had been cut off, and now the long incense was inserted into the saltpeter. Even if there was a layer of corn on top, the sparks that fell for a while would not ignite the saltpeter. But if the long incense slowly burned to the bottom, it would definitely ignite the saltpeter below.

They didn't know whether saltpeter would explode like firecrackers, but they all vaguely knew that saltpeter could be used to make firecrackers, and the earth-shattering sound of the firecrackers just now had left a very deep impression on everyone.

If the explosion happened right in front of them, they might not be able to escape unscathed and might even be killed.

Thinking of this, the group of people quietly moved back.

But Liu Yao's black-clad soldiers stood on both sides, poking the ground with spears and sticks, making a "dong dong dong" sound, as if they were praying to the sky, or warning those who were retreating.

People in the first row, the second row, and even the third row were already looking around, extremely nervous.