72 The Rain Ritual - Part 2

After another day of travelling, the group reached the hollow where the prayer and the ritual were to be conducted.

Each of them wore white coloured robes or a dress in the case of Cheng Ru and got ready for their supplication to the gods for heavy rainfall.

A person might ask why white coloured clothes?

The answer is because white is the colour most associated with purity and fulfilment of one's wishes.

It had been a long stretch of drought in the nation and everyone was clamouring and hoping for the rain gods to relent this time. Otherwise, the sowing and plantation of crops would be too difficult. The level of water had gone far below than what was acceptable.

Su Li in her original life had never believed in God, heaven or hell but the things she had experienced after her death had certainly challenged and changed her beliefs. However, she didn't know if a sincere heart and heartfelt wishes were enough to move the gods or whatever governed the world at large.

Zhou Sheng noticed that Su Li didn't seem to have much confidence in this ritual. He himself didn't believe in intangible things that he hadn't seen or experienced himself, still, he didn't want her to lose heart and do this half-heartedly.

With other four people watching and the countless shadow guards, what if they had a spy between them?

It would be a disaster if even a whiff was leaked that the monarch didn't seem too inclined to believe in the ritual. It was too easy to turn public opinion and especially in these times where people had a firm belief in the words of the upper-class.

Thinking things through, he went forward to talk and instil some confidence in her.

Su Li saw Zhou Sheng coming towards her and turned to face him.

She felt apprehensive about the ritual and her future failure in this endeavour but there was really no other option than to do what The Ministry of Rites had proposed.

With a sardonic smile, she hypothesized, "Is this really the heaven's will? To see people parched for even a single drop of water? Zhen doesn't know if Zhen can move the heavens enough to give Zhen's subjects the water they so dearly thirst for."

Zhou Sheng pointed out, "This lowly one cannot answer Your Excellency's questions but this small one knows that it's more about Your Majesty's will than anything else."

Su Li almost laughed out loud when she heard Zhou Sheng trying to act and speak like a courtier.

"Do you really believe my will is heaven's will? Preposterous and laughable."

The other person also realised that Su Li didn't seem to get his subtle message.

Really! This girl...She really isn't suited for subterfuge at all.

Shaking his head and pursing lips, Zhou Sheng revealed in the softest of a whisper, "Enact a worthwhile play and your position would be secure. No matter the end result" and walked away.

In no time, everybody was in their position and soon they heard the sounds of gongs and drums from the foot of the mountains. The ministers left behind had started their kneelings.

Now the ritual would start.

One by one each of them shouted towards the liege they had pledged their lives to.

"Son of the Great Dragon."

"The Dragon' Son."

"The Heavenly Son."

"The Ruler of All under Heavens."

"Our Earth and Sky."

As soon as the chant finished, almost in unison, they bowed down to the monarch.

This was a bow of gratitude and also of plea to their king who had done so much for them in the first year of his reign than all the previous kings, and now hopefully would save their lives with the advent of a shower of rain.

The five of them continued, "Please grant us rain! The dragon's son! Please grant us rain! Tell the heavens of our troubles and ask them to shower us with water and quench the long thirst of the people!"

With the best smile on her face, Su Li faced the eastern direction and started with her hundred bows to the heavens for the ritual.

Nung Fu watched as His Majesty stood in all his glory and magnificence. The white of the robes truly fit him unlike the others present there for the ritual. There was an inherent innocence in the monarch that he seemed to unconsciously radiate when he was dressed in white.

He watched as the emperor started with the hundred bow ceremony. Each bow was done with a profound veneration to the heavens.

It didn't look like a monarch just going through the motions of the ceremony. Instead, it looked as if the monarch had forgone the imperial family's deep-seated pride and was praying for his subjects in all his humbleness.

Though everyone present could feel the emperor's aura of command wrapped around their liege, it was still evident he was hoping and praying for rain as much as the common man in the streets.

Just as His Majesty was nearing his Twentieth bow, the sounds of powerful winds filled the place, with dust clouds rising and the wind howling as if to devour everything in its path.

Everyone - those present at the top hollow of the mountain range and the ministers standing at the foothills of The Kumbh Mountains could feel their hearts fill with dread.

Generally, such rain rituals had to be carried out multiple times before a short spell of rain. However, there had never been such a strong gust. They feared what it meant for the dynasty and for them on a personal level.

Were the heavens angry at them for some wrongs they had intentionally or unintentionally committed?

Were the heavens telling them that they wouldn't be forgiven?

Meanwhile, Su Li could feel a dull ache in her knees. How she resented the Ministry of Rites for forcing her to perform this ritual. Ah!

More than that, she wasn't optimistic of her chances of giving her subjects what they keenly desired.

Still, with a renewed will and an unwavering heart, she continued with the ceremony.

All Cheng Ru could see was the powerful back of His Majesty. He seemed to exude confidence that his prayers would move the heavens. She felt she would feel safe and secure if she married such a man. He wouldn't let her have any grievances.

If Su Li knew what the delusional girl was thinking, she would have vomited a litre of blood.

From what angle did she looked confident?

Su Li would definitely tell the other girl to get her eyesight checked.

By the Fiftieth bow, Su Li could also feel pain in the small of her back and her legs had started going numb from the pain.

Ha! Her fitness level was too poor. She'll surely try to take better care of her health and start exercising, once she went back to her Imperial Palace.

By the Sixty-first bow, the sky had started rumbling.

The sky was rumbling like it was angry, or the sign of upcoming rain, but the rain did not fall, instead, the thunderous sound grew louder and louder with each bow.

Ning Fu had never seen such weather in all his life. He worried that if the rain didn't fall after the completion of this ritual, His Majesty could be branded as someone whom the heavens didn't want on the Dragon Throne.

After all, there were many eagles and vulture eyeing the position and an unsuccessful rain ritual was akin to a God-given opportunity for them to make a play for the seat of power.

But that was a thing to care about later, right now there was something more important -he dearly hoped and wished that the ritual would end in success.

Not for the people - the commoners or the nobles.

Not for the imperial rewards and increase in his prestige after conducting a ritual that was fruitful.

No, Nung Fu simple wished for the ritual to succeed for one and one person alone - His Majesty.

The Emperor was at his Ninety-third bow.

Though there were signs of rain - winds howling and thunder cackling, still, there was no rain.

In seven more bows, the rain ritual would end and if it didn't rain by then, the ritual would be termed as an unsuccessful one and soon there would be another.

Many would vie for the position of Master of Ceremonies for it because if they were successful in their endeavour, they could have a stronger claim to the ultimate power under heavens.

At the Ninety-sixth bow, there was a deep rumbling sound in the air. It was different from all the previous sounds and brought with it a trace of nature and wet soil - like the one found near coastal areas.

With another bow, the five people accompanying the monarch felt the first drops of the long-awaited rain.

The rain seemed to increase in its intensity with each of the last three bows of the ceremony.

Looking up at the sky, Ning Fu saw black clouds covering the land for as far as the eye could see and pouring droplets of water.

The rain was falling heavier and heavier, it seemed to have gained a majestic momentum by the time the ceremony ended.

His liege, the monarch had brought rain to the dynasty.

Ning Fu couldn't help but raise his lips in a broad smile. Though his cheeks hurt from the effort, those muscles hadn't been used in so long that the muscle movement felt unfamiliar.

All of five them felt drained beyond comprehension.

It wasn't easy bowing a hundred times in unison with the king - where they all had to match their actions with that of the monarch and not disrupt the flow.

For one still, quiet moment each of them stared at the slender form of the emperor who had moved the heavens with his prayers and brought them the much-needed rain.

Ning Fu suddenly realised that even though His Majesty was drenched in rain, he looked solemn, noble and imposing - excluding the aura of a monarch who ruled with benevolence and demanded respect.

The imperial court ministers also felt relieved and jubilant at the unexpected but not unwanted spell of rain and gained a deeper reverence to the meaning behind the term 'Son of Heaven'.

When the rainfall started, the citizens in the nearby places also thanked the heavens and their monarch for their benevolence and felt endless reverence - towards the Heavens, the gods, and imperial power.

Meanwhile, Su Li felt bone-deep tiredness as she finished the ritual and furthermore, she was excited and thankful to all the gods out there.

She knew that the timely rain was nothing less than a miracle and probably a coincidence, nonetheless, she felt grateful for the reprieve it brought to the citizens.

She turned towards the other people who had accompanied her in the arduous ritual and gave them all a warm, heartfelt smile.

Su Li tried to take a step towards them but staggered under the strain of bowing continuously for so long. A collective gasp echoed through the hollow of the mountain and everyone took a step forward as if to catch her as she dropped.

But it was Zhou Sheng and Ning Fu who actually reached her, with a shouted, "Your Majesty," panic clear in their tone.

Both of them took hold of one of her arms as her knees buckled beneath her and her body swayed.

They caught her, held her between them and she was thankful for their timely help.

His Majesty gave them both a nod of his head and a smile.

For a brief moment, Ning Fu's eyes locked with those of Zhou Sheng's as they silently shared this burden between them. He could see the same emotion in the man's eyes that filled his own heart - fear, confusion, and an overwhelming need to protect His Majesty from what still lay ahead of him and serve him to the best of their abilities.

Both of them - giants among men, didn't realise but it was this moment that would lay the foundations of their life-long friendship and unshakable trust in each other.