Accidentally dressed as an empress

three days later

Notices were posted on notice boards all over the city, announcing that Her Majesty's rain-praying ceremony would begin at 1:15 PM at the Altar of Heaven in the south of the city.

Yunxiu naturally wanted to go, so she took Zhong Yi with her and went to watch the ceremony in a carriage.

It was a sunny day with hot waves in the air. The scorching sun made people sweat profusely.

Under the altar in the south of the city, there were circles of people. The dignitaries were in the inner circle, and the common people were in the outermost circle. People from the city patrol were guarding and maintaining order.

There is a huge altar on the high platform. On the stone steps leading to the altar, two rows of female guards in white are standing ready.

Four snow-white horses appeared, pulling a carriage, and arrived at the foot of the altar.

The queen got off the carriage and walked up to the altar gracefully. She was plump and tall, wearing an ice-blue feather dress and a bird feather mask on her head.

The feathered robe and mask are both made of blue feathers. The Jingwei bird is said to be a daughter of the Yan Emperor, with turquoise feathers, who once studied Taoism with Chisongzi, the god of rain. Therefore, the empress disguised herself as a Jingwei bird to pray for rain.

Yunxiu finally remembered why the phoenix looked so familiar. The original owner's crown and robes were painted with a blue phoenix, and the phoenix was the totem of the Yun family.

If the screen depicting a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix didn't belong to the original owner, it could only belong to His Majesty. This meant that Qingfeng Tower was most likely His Majesty's property. Yunxiu was terrified.

The low sound of the horn brought Yunxiu back to her senses. Yunxiu looked at the person on the platform again and could no longer take him lightly.

The ceremony began with the sound of ancient and primitive trumpets.

The queen held a torch and lit the braziers at the four corners of the altar. The fire started and smoke curled up. The milky white smoke distorted its trajectory in the heat wave, moving without wind, as if it had danced in advance.

The Queen put down the torch, picked up the copper bell with both hands, and gently shook it, which made a clear and pleasant sound. Along with the ringing of the copper bell, the Queen began to chant the ancient spell.

The sound of drums gradually rose, from weak to strong, and the people on the platform began to dance for rain.

The queen's blue dress fluttered like a fairy, but her movements were solemn. She stopped and moved with the beat of the drum, a mixture of beauty and power, as if she was communicating with the gods.

On the altar were placed livestock such as pigs, cattle, and sheep, as well as seeds of millet, sorghum, rice, wheat, and beans.

The Queen danced to the altar, grabbed a handful of grains and threw them into the air. The grains fell to the ground and into the brazier, making a crackling sound.

As the drumbeats rose and fell, everyone's breathing also increased and decreased.

People are already worried. Will it really rain?

The drumbeats weakened, and the queen placed the bronze bell on the altar, picked up the jade bowl filled with clear spring water, dipped it with a willow branch, and sprinkled it into the air.

Just at this moment, a breeze blew quietly, bringing a hint of coolness to the originally dull air.

The sky suddenly darkened.

The people watched the changes in the sky nervously and excitedly, the children snuggled up to their parents, and the eyes of the elderly flickered with hope.

In the eastern sky, clouds began to roll and gather, and soon the sky was covered with dark clouds. A flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, and then rumbling thunder shook the earth, rumbling in the air.

Bean-sized raindrops poured down from the dark clouds, hitting the cracked fields, and hitting people's heads and faces.

The crowd erupted in cheers, "It's raining!"

"It's really raining!"

"Your Majesty, it is God's will!"

"Your Majesty, it is God's will!"

The people were filled with joy, believing that their king could truly communicate with heaven and earth. They embraced, danced, and reached out to catch the rain. Some even hurried home to store it.

A thunderstorm was pouring down, and Su Qing held up two lotus leaves for her and Zhong Yi. The rain was a bit heavy, so Yunxiu took the lotus leaves and held them above her head.

I forgot my rain gear in the car. The sky was clear just now, but I didn't expect it to rain. Now there are too many people and I can't squeeze out. The wet mud soaked Zhong Yi's skirt.

Grand Historian Yu Miao also looked up at the dark thunderclouds in the sky with an inexplicable expression.

Yunxiu, who was in the rainstorm, had already realized that this was a grand show.

Your Majesty asked the Grand Historian to predict the thunderstorm for this moment, so that the people would believe that Your Majesty could really pray for rain.

To deceive one person is a deception, to deceive a hundred people is a crime, to deceive ten thousand people is a masterpiece.

So, what about deceiving the whole world?

Well, she was the ignorant one.

In a world where theocracy had long since vanished, it was difficult to experience the power of faith. Yunxiu naturally saw the shock in Zhong Yi's eyes.

Except for her, Ren Li, the Grand Historian and a few ministers who knew the inside story, no one present was not shocked by the power of heaven and earth.

Yunxiu seemed to understand something. It turned out that this was the way of the Queen Mother, which was given by heaven.

Of course, this also had its drawbacks. Any natural disaster would be blamed on the emperor, who was said to have failed to communicate well with heaven.

Summer thunderstorms come and go quickly. The rain is getting lighter and the crowd has dispersed.

Yunxiu looked at Zhong Yi who remained silent and said, "Let's go back."

Yunxiu pulled Zhong Yi to the carriage and stood under the edge of the carriage to avoid the rain.

Zhong Yi suddenly asked, "Is Your Highness also a great god like Your Majesty?"

Yunxiu coughed violently. Only someone as careless as Ren Li would say the word "great god."

Yunxiu asked, "Who told you that?"

"I witnessed His Majesty's miracle today, and Your Highness is His Majesty's daughter." Zhong Yi said weakly, "I am just a mortal, not worthy of Your Highness."

Yun Xiu pulled him over, pressed him in front of her and said, "Listen to my heartbeat. I am also flesh and blood. What gods or ghosts are there?"

"There are so many thunderstorms in the summer. It's just a coincidence."

Zhong Yi covered Yun Xiu's mouth with his hand, and the two of them were almost touching each other. Zhong Yi said, "Shh... Don't say anything nonsense..."

Yunxiu pulled his hand away and said, "Okay, I won't tell you."

Zhong Yi continued, "Your Highness is only a body of flesh and blood now. Once you inherit His Majesty's phoenix divine power, you will transcend the mortal realm and become a god..."

Yunxiu could confirm where he got all this nonsense from; there were no such strange books in her study.

Yunxiu looked at Zhong Yi, a devout believer, and said helplessly, "Let's go back."

Yunxiu stroked his slightly wet hair.

Zhong Yi asked, "Your Highness, can you use your divine power to summon fire? How about water? Water will also work?"

Zhong Yi asked again, "When Your Highness goes to heaven, can you take me with you?"

Zhong Yi gushed, "Your Highness is a goddess, how can you only have me as your husband? My brother Zhong Qi is quite cute, what do you think?"

Yunxiu was confused: "Who is Zhong Qi? I have no impression of him."

"Lin Ziqi is also very well-behaved, and is just the right person to accompany His Highness."

Yunxiu was confused: "Who is Lin Ziqi?"

Of course, it was the husband chosen by Prince Lin for the eldest princess. Zhong Yi was furious.

Yunxiu couldn't stand the little fool Zhong Yi at all. He looked quite smart, but how could he suddenly become stupid?

No, he was definitely playing dumb. He was looking for someone to deal with him so he could escape and leave the Grand Princess's residence. That's right, that's it.

Yunxiu asked, "I see, you want to leave, right?"

"Your Highness now has someone helping with the housekeeping, and Your Highness has been talking to Ren Liye for so long, it seems that he doesn't need me that much."

This seems to be a fatal question.