Chapter 189 She felt it was hot even when she held it!

As soon as Yun Zhen saw the emperor’s expression, he knew he had misunderstood.

So he quickly explained: “People hundreds of years later are particularly curious about the lives of their ancestors, so they like to pursue antiques.”

“For example, the robes that His Majesty and His Majesty wore when they attended court or banquets, the crowns and jewellery they wore, their handwritten calligraphy, and the ornaments they played with on a daily basis, etc. These are objects that can highlight their status and reflect the taste of the court.”

“People in later generations can use these objects to infer and restore the lives of ancient people, and thus understand their ancestors’ daily lives and preferences.”

“This is a way for later generations to worship their ancestors, and also to pass on the historical culture created and passed down by their ancestors.”

So, just give something external.

No underwear is needed.

Don’t stuff everything on her, it will feel too hot for her to handle!

The emperor understood.

It turns out that this is what people in later generations need.

In fact, there were many people in their time who liked to collect antiques, but most of them did so out of admiration for the ancients, or to gain fame and to show off their status.

I have never heard of anyone using antiques to drive up prices and make a profit from it.

As far as the emperor is concerned, ancient books and paintings are more valuable in his heart, because they carry the wisdom of the ancient sages.

The rest are nothing but personal belongings, even those left behind by the royal family of the previous dynasty. To him, they are just “property” and do not have much collection value.

“No problem, I’ll prepare some suitable antiquities for you.”

“I’ll try to find two old dragon robes to give you.”

The emperor readily agreed, then took the concubine’s hand and asked her to free up two old clothes as well.

Concubine Yun hesitated after hearing this: “Will my clothes be okay? The more noble these old things are, the better. How about I go ask the Empress?”

After saying this, he felt that it was inappropriate for the concubine to ask the empress for the phoenix robe, as if she was threatening him.

Then he changed his words: “Should we go and ask the emperor?”

The emperor frowned and was reluctant to deal with Queen Lu.

“No need to ask her. Mrs. Lu has a somewhat paranoid personality. If you ask her for the phoenix robe, she might become suspicious of something.”

“You are the best in my heart, and your things are naturally the most valuable. Just pick two old clothes. I will ask the clothing bureau to make you some new ones later.”

Concubine Yun blushed and nodded in agreement.

Yun Zhen outside the bookcase: “…”

No matter which dimension you connect to, it seems that you can’t avoid being forced to eat dog food.

This is an ancient dog food from a thousand years ago. Everyone who has eaten it says it makes them feel full.

Yunzhen looked at their affectionate expressions and his eyes rolled around.

He silently took out his mobile phone and ordered some good things, intending to give Concubine Yun a special gift.

After the gift-giving and greetings were over, the emperor asked Yunzhen:

“Can you please ask the little god to send down rain for the northern part of the Great Zhou?”

“The drought has lasted for nearly a year, and the people in the north can hardly survive.”

“I am willing to pay any price, even if it means giving away all the calligraphy and paintings in the world. As long as it can bring enough rainwater, I will immediately send people to collect it.”

The emperor looked very serious, so serious that even Yun Zhen was startled.

“I don’t need that much. Just give me some classic calligraphy and paintings handed down from generation to generation.”

“There is no need to give a rare copy. Find a few scholars who are good at copying or calligraphy and hand-copy two copies of each book. That would be the best return gift.”

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and confirmed again:

“I only need manuscripts and antiques related to music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Do you need anything else?”

Yun Zhen said, “Nothing else is needed for the time being.” After thinking for a while, he took the initiative to propose, “Would you like to personally perform a sacrifice to pray for rain? I can cooperate.”

“After the rain, we announced to the public that it was the royal family’s patron saint who appeared. What do you think?”

The emperor was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he understood Yun Zhen’s intention.

In the feudal dynasty era, if a courtier’s family had a patron saint with powerful magical powers, it would more or less arouse the king’s fear.

Even if the current emperor is kind and magnanimous, he can ignore these things.

But what about the emperor’s children? What about his grandsons?

Can everyone tolerate such an extraordinary existence that is unpredictable, uncontrollable, and capable of challenging or even subverting imperial power?

I’m afraid we have to kill them all to get rid of this hidden danger?
If this patron saint became royal, everything would be different.

The emperor successfully prayed for rain in public, and the grand scene of the emperor’s divine communication was enough to shock everyone.

This had a strong consolidating effect on the emperor’s personal reputation and imperial rule.

By then, everyone in the world would know that Emperor Li Chengxi was the wise ruler chosen by heaven, so the gods responded to his request and sent down life-saving rain to the long-dry Great Zhou.

All honors go to the emperor, and the Yun family seems less noticeable.

It doesn’t matter where the patron saint comes from, the most important thing is external publicity.

As long as everyone believes that the gods belong to the royal family, they will protect the country of Great Zhou.

So no one would know how the guardian god subsidized and took care of the Yun family in private, and the emperor didn’t care either.

As for the patron saint legend that was previously popular in Yuzhou?
The mountains are high and the waters are far away, so they cannot affect the capital and the central plains.

Yun Jin and Yun Zhan looked at each other and both smiled knowingly.

The father and son bowed to the emperor in tacit understanding and said in unison:
“Your Majesty, please preside over the rain-praying ceremony to bring rain to the Great Zhou and alleviate the drought.”

The attitude of this father and son shows that the Yun family also agrees to “transfer” the patron saint openly.

With the strong support of the General’s Mansion, future actions will only be more convenient and more “legitimate.”

The emperor saw this and agreed without much thought:

“Okay, then I will personally preside over a rain prayer. I’ll trouble the little fairy to help me cooperate.”

Yunzhen discussed some details of the sacrifice with the emperor, then said goodbye and “went offline”, sat back at his desk to organize the materials, and made a detailed plan for the rain-praying sacrifice.

Concubine Yun also took the two sleepy little princes back to the palace to rest.

In the imperial study, only the emperor and Yun Jin and his son were still discussing state affairs.

***
When he went to court the next day, the emperor was obviously in a good mood.

All the court officials were prepared for a heated debate, thinking that the emperor would definitely reward Yun Jin and his son today.

Of course Prime Minister Lu would try to stop it, and even fabricated some false evidence to frame Yun Jin.

Everyone was ready to wait for the emperor to speak, but the emperor said something unexpected.

“Three days later, I will personally preside over a rain-praying ceremony, asking the Dragon God to bring rain to the Great Zhou.”

“Minister of Rites, this matter will be left to you to plan. Prepare the three sacrificial animals as soon as possible, and remember not to make any mistakes!”

The Minister of Rites bowed and accepted the order.

The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Why would an emperor who was always pragmatic start to believe in such weird and supernatural things?

Do we still have to prepare sacrifices and hold grand ceremonies in a year of famine like this?
This is not in keeping with His Majesty’s character.

Prime Minister Lu felt that something was amiss and immediately stepped forward to advise:

“Your Majesty, praying for rain is a waste of money and effort, and it is hard to see any results. Please think twice.”