The Grand Tutor began to explain the situation of the world to Duoduo.
Actually, Xiao Yi had already analyzed this with Duoduo before.
But the Grand Tutor’s perspective was different.
He analyzed the various situations of all successive dynasties, from ancient times to the present.
Some of the content was what Xiao Yi had talked about, while some Duoduo had never heard before.
Duoduo listened with great interest, without giving any thought to why the Grand Tutor was discussing this topic with her.
The Grand Tutor talked for a full half hour before stopping.
He glanced at the water clock on the side and stood up.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Grand Tutor, can I go home now?"
Duoduo was so absorbed in listening that she didn’t snap out of it for a moment.
The Grand Tutor turned his head. "Follow me!"
With that, the Grand Tutor lifted his foot and walked out the door.
Duoduo scratched her head. She picked up her bookcase and quickly followed.
Unexpectedly, following the Grand Tutor, they left the palace all the way and boarded a carriage.
Duoduo was very curious. She looked at the scenery receding outside the window, feeling even more puzzled.
"Grand Tutor, where are you taking your student?"
The Grand Tutor, who had his eyes closed, opened his eyelids and glanced at Duoduo.
"I’m not going to sell you off," he said, then closed his eyes again.
Duoduo quietly stuck out her tongue.
She didn’t dare move recklessly anymore. She began to secretly guess where the Grand Tutor might take her.
No matter how hard she racked her brain, Duoduo couldn’t figure out where the Grand Tutor was taking her.
But then, Duoduo thought about what the Grand Tutor had told her earlier, and she felt restless in her heart.
Unable to figure it out, Duoduo decided not to think about it anymore.
Her father once said that when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road.
And if there’s no road, just cut one out.
Duoduo glanced at the Grand Tutor. She thought that taking him on alone shouldn’t be a problem.
With that thought, Duoduo closed her eyes and began to rest.
After about a quarter of an hour, the carriage stopped.
Duoduo opened her eyes and saw the Grand Tutor stand up.
She quickly followed suit, getting up and stepping down from the carriage with the Grand Tutor.
Where the carriage stopped, it was heavily guarded, filled with imperial guards.
Duoduo’s eyes flickered, and she felt even more puzzled.
This was the Imperial Ancestral Temple!
Why did the Grand Tutor bring her here?
The Grand Tutor approached the leader of the imperial guards and showed his token. The guard raised his hand, and a path was cleared.
"Follow me," the Grand Tutor said, glancing back at Duoduo.
"Yes," Duoduo replied, quickly keeping pace with the Grand Tutor.
Once they were far from the imperial guards, Duoduo spoke again.
"Grand Tutor, what are we doing here?"
The Grand Tutor looked at Duoduo.
"Observing a ceremony," he said flatly, uttering two words.
Observing a ceremony?
What ceremony?
Duoduo suddenly remembered: today was the day her Imperial Grandfather was praying for rain.
Great!
Duoduo couldn’t help but feel excited.
She had originally planned to sneak away and secretly watch her Imperial Grandfather pray for rain after handing in her homework.
The Grand Tutor was such a nice person!
For the first time, Duoduo found the Grand Tutor agreeable.
Duoduo followed the Grand Tutor through a hidden door.
After passing through a long tunnel, the Grand Tutor pushed open another door.
Duoduo’s view suddenly opened up.
Before her was a vast open space, as large as several horse racing fields.
On the open ground, there were piles of firewood taller than a person.
On another elevated platform stood a few people.
Duoduo had good eyesight.
She immediately saw that on the platform, besides her Imperial Grandfather, there was a small figure.
It was actually Song Shuyu!
Duoduo rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
She wasn’t mistaken.
It was Song Shuyu.
No wonder Song Shuyu was decked out in luxurious attire today.
So she was here to pray for rain.
Could Song Shuyu really bring rain?
Duoduo was very curious.
She looked around and saw Prince Ling on another side.
He wore a proud expression as he looked at Song Shuyu on the platform.
Duoduo understood.
Her Imperial Grandfather must be trying to use Song Shuyu’s reputation as a lucky star to succeed in praying for rain.
Duoduo couldn’t help but scratch her chin.
Coming to the palace today turned out to be well worth it.
On another platform, there was also a Taoist priest, looking grimly at the sky.
The clear sky was cloudless, with the sun blazing fiercely overhead.
Not even a single breeze blew.
Duoduo quietly leaned closer to the Grand Tutor. "Grand Tutor, can we get rain?"
The Grand Tutor glanced at Duoduo without answering, but instead looked at the sky with a worried expression.
Duoduo also looked up.
Even though they were under the eaves, the heat of the sun was still unbearable.
Duoduo felt that everything before her eyes was dazzlingly white.
She could clearly see that Song Shuyu’s forehead hair was wet, sticking to her face in strands.
Beside her, the Imperial Grandfather’s face also showed anxiety.
As time dragged on, everyone present grew anxious.
The emperor couldn’t bear it anymore and sent someone to inquire about the situation.
Finally, a breeze slowly blew in.
Everyone perked up.
Duoduo saw the Taoist priest on the platform clasp his hands together and begin to chant.
Then, with his left hand forming a hand seal and his right hand holding a sword, he quickly drew talismans in the air.
Duoduo widened her eyes with curiosity.
This was exactly the scene Li Jin had described to her in his paintings.
So this is what a rain-praying ceremony really looks like!
On the other platform, the emperor and Song Shuyu both knelt down.
On the open ground, the firewood was lit. As the flames grew larger, thick smoke billowed toward the sky.
On the platform here, the Taoist priest raised his sword to the sky, saying something inaudible.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the sky.
Duoduo saw that the sky, which had been clear moments ago, seemed to darken.
But the air was still very dry.
Duoduo thought of the essential conditions Li Jin had mentioned for rain to fall.
Without enough humidity, it couldn’t rain.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Li Jin’s theory was wrong.
In the sky, the sun seemed to have been driven away by the thick smoke.
The sky gradually darkened.
It seemed that rain was about to fall.
On the platform, the Taoist priest’s chant grew faster, and his hand movements changed several times.
Duoduo saw that Song Shuyu on the platform seemed unable to kneel any longer.
She began to wobble.
The thick smoke from the burning fire on the ground was close to Song Shuyu’s platform.
Plus, the sudden wind blew the thick smoke toward the platform.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Song Shuyu couldn’t hold back and coughed.
She remembered Prince Ling’s warning before going on stage never to make a sound.
Song Shuyu quickly covered her mouth.
But the thick smoke grew heavier, making her tears stream down.
Beside her, the emperor couldn’t stand it either.
He looked anxiously at the sky.
From his high platform, he could see that only the sky directly above them was dark.
Everywhere else remained bright and glaring.
The sun still hung in the sky.
He looked suspiciously at Song Shuyu behind him.
Wasn’t Ling Wang saying she was a lucky star?
Why couldn’t rain be brought?
The emperor suddenly spotted Duoduo below, tilting her little face, watching them with great interest.
