White-robed Minister

Chapter 219-0217 [Lord Xu Prays for Rain]

Not long after Xu Lai returned to Xizhou from Qinzhou, he devoted himself to the drought relief work.

This summer, drought has affected all regions.

"My lord, your clothes are askew!" Dingxiang exclaimed.

Xu Lai tidied himself up casually, but Ding Xiang stopped him, carefully straightened his clothes, and then let him go.

Not long after sitting down in the military headquarters, Wang Shao hurriedly requested an audience: "The Daxia River and Jiehe River are almost dry, and the soldiers and civilians can only fetch water from the middle of the river. The Tao River also has very little water. If it doesn't rain soon, I'm afraid we won't have enough food this year. Because the whole of Shaanxi is experiencing a severe drought."

Xu Lai flipped through various reports and said, "The areas where winter wheat is grown are doing alright; the damage isn't too severe. The main problem is the poor harvest of spring millet and sorghum—we have to send troops this year no matter what!"

This year, rainfall became scarce from late spring, and it has been almost non-existent since the beginning of summer.

Most of the new immigrants in Xihe arrived last winter, missing the planting season for winter wheat. Therefore, they could only sow millet and sorghum in the spring, but then encountered a drought at the crucial time.

By the end of May, the earliest planted millet and sorghum had already been harvested. If there had been enough rain, a second crop could have been planted, but given the current situation, it was impossible.

Because of the limited population and abundant land, some land is planted later.

Millet and sorghum planted later are most affected because they require irrigation during the heading stage, and drought can severely reduce yields. Drought relief efforts primarily target these fields.

Zhu Shao said, "Except for a small number of soldiers and civilians left to garrison the border villages, all the rest of the troops and civilians have been devoted to drought relief. The effect is definitely noticeable, but the weather is unpredictable. If it doesn't rain, mobilizing more troops and civilians will be useless. Because apart from the Tao River, there is simply no water to draw from other rivers."

"Make arrangements," Xu Lai sighed. "I will personally pray for rain. The people have been waiting for a long time. If I don't pray for rain, there will surely be widespread resentment."

When I read history books or read literary works before, I always felt that the ancients' prayers for rain were incredibly foolish and ignorant. But now that I've become an official myself, I understand what the purpose of praying for rain really was.

When all drought relief measures have been exhausted, the only option left is to pray for rain.

This can demonstrate the officials' stance and temporarily reassure the military and civilians!

Xu Lai truly could not have imagined that he would one day be playing the role of a shaman.

He, along with his officials, Qiang chieftains, elderly people, and those in charge of the rain-praying ritual, fasted for three days, abstaining from meat and fish. They built an altar by the water's edge east of the city to respond to the spring's burgeoning energy.

"Master Xu, the rain-praying ceremony should begin at midnight." Gong Fugui actually knew about this stuff.

Xu Lai questioned, "Who are you praying for rain at midnight for?"

"This—naturally—is for God and the Dragon King to see," Gong Fugui replied. "In the third year of Jingde, the imperial court promulgated the Law on Painting Dragons to Pray for Rain, which has strict regulations on the timing and steps of the rain-praying ceremony. Moreover, there are no Taoist priests in Xihe, so we should go to Qinzhou to invite them."

Xu Lai said, "If there are no Taoist priests, let the officials handle it. Change the rain-praying ceremony to begin at dusk, so that farmers who have finished working in the fields can also participate. This will not interfere with the officials' work."

Gong Fugui said no more; he understood what Xu Lai meant.

Xu Jinglue clearly did not believe in the rain-praying ceremony; it was purely a performance for the benefit of officials, soldiers, and civilians.

It would be best if it rained.

Even if it doesn't rain, it can still offer some comfort and give everyone a glimmer of hope, preventing them from having too many unpleasant thoughts.

This expectation given to the people can last for at least twenty or thirty days.

If it doesn't rain in twenty or thirty days, then there's nothing more to say. It's definitely a super severe drought. Prepare for famine relief in winter and spring, because the people will definitely have no food then.

On the day of the rain prayer, an incense table is set up in advance, displaying a series of offerings.

The offerings were not extravagant, consisting of ordinary grains and wine. The area twenty paces outside the altar was enclosed with white rope. A wooden pole stood on the altar, upon which hung a painted image of the dragon god.

The only living creature among the offerings was a large white goose. Blood had to be drawn from the goose's neck, and then sprinkled onto the dragon image using a twig dipped in the blood.

The ceremony must be solemn and dignified; music must not be used indiscriminately, and shamans must not be invited to perform rituals.

At dusk.

Upon hearing the news, residents inside and outside the city, as well as archers and commoners in the suburbs, flocked to watch the spectacle and joined the officials in their prayers.

Xu Lai didn't believe in this stuff, but the common people did.

The Han people, in particular, had long been hoping for official rainmaking. If Xu Lai did not come forward to pray for rain, the people would direct their resentment at him, believing that he had neglected Heaven and the Dragon God.

"Master Xu is the reincarnation of the God of Literature. If he steps forward to pray for rain, the Dragon King will surely give him face."

"We should have prayed for rain long ago. I don't know what Master Xu was thinking. It's getting a bit late now."

"You Han people worship the dragon god? We Qiang people pray to the mountain god for rain, and we also invite a shaman to perform the Yelong dance."

"After Master Xu finishes his sacrifice to the Dragon God, you should also find time to offer sacrifices to the Mountain God. You can never have too many sacrifices; there are always gods willing to help bring rain."

'

"Even before the rain-praying ceremony began, people of both the Han and Qiang ethnic groups were already exchanging ideas enthusiastically. Everyone was very positive about this kind of thing."

Xu Lai led the officials to the scene and saw that the area along the river outside the altar was full of people.

Officials disguised as Taoist priests appeared to perform various rituals.

Xu Lai loudly recited the prayer: "In the third year of Xining—Alas! Natural disasters are rampant, and the balance of Yin and Yang is distorted. From spring to summer, the rains have been delayed—I, being unworthy, have been appointed by Your Majesty to guard this land. Although military and political affairs are well-managed, agricultural matters are urgent. The border people rely on grain for their lives, and the soldiers depend on provisions for their defense. Now, the drought demon is wreaking havoc, and the year is about to be extremely ominous—I humbly beseech the mountains and rivers of Xihe, the palace of the Dragon God—that within five days, sufficient rain will fall, and temples and shrines should be repaired to offer sacrifices to the bright gods—"

After the prayer was finished, Xu led the officials and common people to kneel in worship.

The Qiang people in the vicinity also knelt down and prayed with the Han people, crying and begging the dragon god for rain.

After kneeling and bowing, Xu Lai looked up at the sky, even thinking to himself: If there really is a Dragon God, please let it rain soon. I moved the worship time from midnight to dusk so that the people could participate, not because I intended to disrespect you, Dragon God.

The sky remained clear, with no sign of rain.

For the next few days, he would go to the altar to pray and worship twice a day as required.

I pray once before going to work and once after get off work.

After the ceremony, Xu Lai led the officials away.

The grain used for the sacrifice was kept. The wine and the large white goose were distributed on the spot by the officials.

It was already dark when Xu returned to the inner quarters of the official residence, where Dingxiang had prepared a meal and was waiting for him.

"Did the sacrificial ceremony go smoothly?" Dingxiang asked.

Xu Lai said, "No accidents have occurred. I hope it will rain."

Dingxiang said, "The officials' wives have been saying lately that the reason for this year's severe drought might be that Xihe doesn't have a Dragon God Temple, which has displeased the Dragon King."

"The whole of Shaanxi is suffering from drought, and there's a Dragon King Temple there," Xu Lai said with a laugh.

Dingxiang thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

Xu Lai said, "In my prayer, I promised to build a temple for the Dragon God if it rains within five days. If He truly brings rain, I will not only fulfill my promise to build a temple for Him, but I will also ask the Emperor to bestow upon the Tao River Dragon God a title!"

It didn't rain on the first day.

It didn't rain the next day.

It didn't rain on the third day.

On the fourth day, Zhang Anji arrived.

At dusk, after finishing get off work, Xu Lai would go to the altar outside the city to worship as usual.

Many officials and ordinary citizens also came to the scene on their own initiative, since they come every day anyway, just for some psychological comfort.

Zhang Anji saw it from afar but dared not go over to participate, because he had not fasted in advance and was afraid of affecting the rain-making effect.

Zhang Anji only caught up with Xu Lai after he finished his worship and returned to the city.

"Lord Xu, I am Zhang Anji, the messenger on horseback," Zhang Anji said, taking out his official token.

Another eunuch?

Xu Lai felt a subconscious resistance, yet the person seemed familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen him before. Perhaps he'd met him at the palace.

Xu Lai put on an enthusiastic expression: "So it's Angel Zhang. Come into the city quickly and let's talk."

Zhang Anji laughed and said, "Master Xu really doesn't remember me?"

Xu Lai said, "He really does have a very kind face."

Zhang Anji whispered a reminder: "Before Master Xu became the top scholar in the imperial examination, I visited his door many times to deliver letters. At that time, I had a beard sticking on."

Xu Lai was taken aback upon hearing this: "You were on behalf of—"

Zhang Anji blinked repeatedly and took out a letter: "The Emperor also asked me to bring a letter this time."

Xu Lai didn't say anything more, silently put away the letter, and led Zhang Anji into the city.

He only opened the letter when he got home.

In this letter, Zhao Xu addressed Xu Lai as "Mr. Xu" and asked him for advice on Mencius and mathematics, just as he had done in their private correspondence in the past.

Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated. He immediately wrote back to the emperor to answer his questions, changing his form of address from "Your Majesty" to "Your Majesty".

The next day, Xu hosted a banquet for Zhang Anji, but did not mention the past at all, only inquiring about the recent situation of the court.

Zhang Anji said, "The most heated topic is undoubtedly the Green Sprouts Act, which is getting more and more heated. And then there's Li Ding—"

Li Ding was a former student of Wang Anshi.

Wang Anshi wanted to promote Li Ding to head the Censorate, but because this appointment was too outrageous, he had to change it to promoting him to Censor.

As a result, all three imperial edict drafters strongly opposed it, and no one was willing to write the appointment edict.

Why?

First, the rise was far too rapid.

This person has no political achievements whatsoever, and is not even a high-ranking official in the capital.

Back then, Xu Lai held the status of a high-ranking official in the capital, and even becoming a censor required adding prefixes and suffixes. But Li Ding? He didn't even qualify for those.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, Wang Anshi wanted to promote a section-level cadre directly to a position almost equivalent to a vice-minister. When that didn't work out, he settled for a lower position, promoting him to a position within the Central Committee.

This is absolutely insane!

Secondly, this person has a tainted reputation.

Li Ding's mother died, and he resigned from his official post to return home, citing the need to care for his father, without observing the required mourning period for his mother. He later explained that he didn't know if she was his biological mother, so he dared not report the death to the court. However, he did resign and return home, and did not continue serving as an official at that time.

Not showing concern for one's mother during her mourning period, regardless of whether she was one's biological mother or not, constitutes a major political stain.

With these two negative factors combined, which imperial drafter would dare to write an appointment edict? They would rather be dismissed from office than write an imperial decree.

Wang Anshi's real stunts were just beginning.

In order to promote Li Ding, this stubborn prime minister actually re-established the "Direct Attendant's Office".

The term "Zhisherenyuan" can be understood as "a deputy imperial drafter on duty at the Sherenyuan." It was established during Zhao Guangyi's reign, but it has been abolished for several decades.

So the imperial drafters don't want to write imperial edicts, huh? Fine, I'll create acting imperial drafters and bypass your appointment officials!

Wang Anshi intended to appoint Chen Xiang to the Imperial Secretariat, but Chen Xiang was afraid that his reputation would be tarnished, so he resigned from his post.

Next, Wang Anshi went to find Wang Yirou.

Xu Lai’s “old acquaintance” Wang Yirou happily accepted the position and from then on wrote appointment edicts for Wang Anshi’s promoted officials.

Is it absolutely necessary to promote Li Ding?

of course not.

Wang Anshi used this opportunity to seize the power to write imperial edicts. Otherwise, his future promotions of officials would be constantly obstructed by those in charge of drafting imperial edicts, so this time he simply solved the problem once and for all.

Incidentally, Li Ding, whom he forcibly promoted, was the mastermind behind the Wutai Poetry Case that framed Su Shi.

After hearing about the stubborn husband's outrageous actions, Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated.

Compared to Li Ding's rapid promotion, it seems that my own advancement of twelve ranks is nothing, given that I am a pioneer who has expanded the territory.

Zhang Anji and Xu Lai were having a great time drinking, and they stumbled out of the back of the official residence, tipsy.

He plans to cling tightly to this powerful figure, casually rack up some credit for the border campaigns for a couple of years, and then he'll be set to take off from there, right?

"Boom!"

A clap of thunder sounded.

Zhang Anji looked up in surprise, wondering if it was really going to rain.

At this moment, the people inside and outside Xizhou City all looked up at the sky with joy. At the same time, they were also filled with apprehension, fearing that the heavens would only thunder but not bring rain.

This has happened several times before; after thunder, not a single drop of rain falls.

"It's raining!"

No one knows who shouted the first thing, but officials and common people came out of their houses and stood under the eaves, happily reaching out to catch the rainwater.

Some young people, unafraid of getting sick, rushed straight into the rain to run.

Dingxiang, accompanied by her maid, came out of the house and turned back to shout to Xu Lai, "My lord, it's raining! The Dragon King has appeared!"

Xu Lai felt relaxed and walked leisurely to the eaves with a smile: "It's exactly the fifth day. I have to fulfill my promise to build a temple for the Dragon King."

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