"What's going on?" the Jiajing Emperor asked indifferently, addressing Shao Yuanjie.
"Your Majesty, this man spoke nonsense during the sacrifice to heaven, claiming 'Your Majesty has sinned'."
"Zhengyi Realm Master, do not spit blood!" Li Changzhou stood up.
All the Taoist nuns and palace maids' hearts skipped a beat.
The man was handsome, with a tall and slender figure. The sun on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month was brilliant and clear, making him look like a god from the heavens.
Alchemists favored by the Jiajing Emperor, if not for their cultivation, must at least pass the test in looks; others like Tie Guaili and Jigong shouldn't even bother joining the fray.
Any one of them standing here would look like a true immortal on the path to enlightenment, capable of playing the Heavenly Venerate of the Primordial Beginning without any problem in later generations.
And yet, speaking on looks and temperament alone, who most resembled an immortal, Li Changzhou was sure to get half of the votes.
He was naturally handsome and now possessed the "Divine Body," which meant, in some respect, purely from a physical standpoint, he could indeed be considered a true god or immortal.
Li Changzhou continued, "What I clearly said was 'When has Your Majesty ever sinned'."
The Jiajing Emperor glanced at Shao Yuanjie, who indeed had not heard clearly what Li Changzhou had said; he only caught the words 'committing what sin'.
His expression unchanged, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I definitely heard him say 'Your Majesty has sinned'."
Fuck you... But no swearing.
"Take him away." The Jiajing Emperor was expressionless.
Li Changzhou began contemplating whether to use a watermelon knife or a pig-slaughtering knife as he moved from the Meridian Gate to the Xuanwu Gate.
"Your Majesty." Just the voice made people's hearts race.
All eyes followed the sound. A figure in a purple gown floated by, her black hair reaching her waist, her peach blossom eyes had clear pupils, her neck was as white as snow, and her figure was exquisite. Though she wore a veil on her face, her stunning beauty was apparent to all.
"I was sitting beside my husband just now and definitely heard him say 'When has Your Majesty ever sinned'."
"Are you implying that I heard wrong?" Shao Yuanjie's gaze was cold, ignoring the devastating beauty of Turquoise Pool.
"I dare not," Turquoise Pool said with a smile.
Although she wore a veil, and her smile could not be seen, just by hearing her voice and seeing her eyes, one was captivated by her smile and laughter.
In the presence of tens of thousands of people, apart from a few cultivators with high cultivation, everyone, regardless of gender, was already attracted by this demoness, no longer caring what Li Changzhou had said.
"However," Turquoise Pool continued, "knowing fish is possible by observing the waters, identifying birds by listening to the mountains. I am close to my husband; my listening is perhaps clearer than that of the Immortal."
"How dare you!" Dozens of Daoists stood up and rebuked her.
"My master is a Great True Master personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor, the Chief of Staff. Not to mention this distance, even if it were the ends of the earth, he would hear everything clearly!"
"Get rid of these deviant heretics!"
Their voices were like thunder, and some unknown spell caused several palace maids to go numb all over, as if thunder had exploded beside their ears.
If disciples could speak so powerfully, then for Shao Yuanjie, his master, it was naturally effortless to hear Li Changzhou's whispered words.
This was a contest.
"You can hear everything clearly even from the ends of the earth? I'd like to see that," Li Changzhou said with a smile.
His voice wasn't loud, but those dozens of Daoists shook like willows kicked at the base, trembling uncontrollably. More than half fell back into their seats, with only a few managing to remain standing.
The complexion of the Daoists present changed.
They had thought he was a wild Daoist who relied on his looks to gain wealth and had no restraint when speaking. But they had not expected his mana to be so strong that just his voice could make the true disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain weaken.
And for others, Li Changzhou's voice carried no power; it was only clear.
To roar like the true disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain was simple; but to achieve what Li Changzhou did, one had to be at least in the True Master Realm.
Shao Yuanjie's expression was as usual. He looked towards the Jiajing Emperor.
"Your Majesty, regardless of what was said, the ceremony of praying for snow has been interrupted. Why not let this Daoist friend, who claims to be a descendant of the Eastern King, pray for snow? If he succeeds, his crime of disrupting the ceremony will be pardoned, and if he fails, he will be executed."
The Jiajing Emperor stood with his hands folded behind his back, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe with his hair bound in a Daoist bun. Were it not for the imperial authority he carried, he would be indistinguishable from a Daoist.
"Agreed."
Once again, all eyes were on Li Changzhou.
Li Changzhou looked towards Turquoise Pool—will it snow?
Turquoise Pool looked at him—don't you know how?
Li Changzhou began contemplating whether to use a watermelon knife or a pig-slaughtering knife as he moved from the Meridian Gate to the Xuanwu Gate.
A eunuch said loudly, "Daoist Li, since winter began this year, neither the capital nor the neighboring provinces have seen a single snowfall. A winter without snow means locusts will plague us next year. Please, Daoist Li, use your powers to save the people of Great Ming from famine!"
With that, he bowed deeply.
Li Changzhou looked at him and summarized the conversation, extracting two pieces of information:
1. The Jiajing Emperor completely trusts Shao Yuanjie;
2. A eunuch coming forth to say such things indicates that if one truly has abilities, the Jiajing Emperor would naturally employ them.
He smiled, his sleeves fluttering as if he were more of an immortal, and spoke aloud:
"Rain in spring, fireflies in summer, yellow leaves in autumn, and naturally white snow in winter—the act of snowing in winter is merely changing with the seasons and responding to the environment. What difficulty could there be?"
The cultivators present were either astonished, disdainful, or merely watching the spectacle as bystanders.
Since Liu Bowen severed the Dragon Vein, the Dragon Clan was reduced to a few Flood Dragons, losing their control over the weather. By all accounts, praying for rain and snow should have become simpler. However, the severing of the Dragon Vein did not just affect the Dragon Clan; cultivators likewise found no room for progress.
Now, the Flood Dragon Kings of the East, West, North, and South Seas, along with thousands of the Water Clan, were in the Canal, doing everything they could to prevent snowfall in the capital.
The Jiajing Emperor had commanded Shao Yuanjie to preside over the grand ceremonial prayer for snow. It had been several days, and today was New Year's Eve. From morning till almost noon, not only had there been no snow, but there was not even a cloud in the sky.