The thing his son did—taking advantage of a man's service to the nation to make a move behind his back—was indeed dishonorable. But as a father, he couldn't help being selfish. Who wouldn't want to marry a girl from the Yu family as their daughter-in-law?
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty." Yu Chongshan first paid his respects to Emperor Mingxi, then looked at Yue Fuguang with a face full of affectionate smiles.
"Fuguang, after this trip, you've lost weight." Yu Chongshan's face showed genuine concern. "When you get home, have your grandmother prepare some nourishing food to help you recover."
Emperor Mingxi was speechless, but Yue Fuguang smiled faintly. Whether she had lost weight or not, she knew herself well enough.
However, there is a kind of cold in this world called "your grandmother thinks you're cold," and a kind of thinness called "your grandfather thinks you're thin." She understood all that.
"Then let's head home quickly!" Yue Fuguang saw that Emperor Mingxi was pretending to be clueless and decided not to pay any more attention to the royal father and son.
"Fuguang, a welcome banquet..." Emperor Mingxi stretched out his hand as if reaching for her. He had come to pick her up, but now that he had, she wanted to run away.
"Your Majesty, with the drought crisis being so urgent and the common people already tightening their belts, it's not appropriate for us to indulge in extravagance. So, the welcome banquet should be canceled."
[Master, aren't you just saying that because you can't be bothered with the banquet?]
"I'm tired after the journey, and who has the patience for some boring banquet? It's no fun at all." Yue Fuguang was completely unabashed. "Besides, am I wrong? Along our journey, every commoner facing this drought is eating one meal and saving the next."
[Master, is it possible that they look gaunt and yellow not because of the drought, but because even without it, they wouldn't dare to eat their fill?]
Especially in ancient times, with few side dishes and little oil in the food, people relied heavily on staple grains. But with such low crop yields per acre, how many could truly eat and drink their fill?
Hence the saying: In times of prosperity, the people suffer; in times of decline, the people also suffer.
"I don't care. I say we must not be extravagant, and that's that! At the very least, I don't want to see in Dayan what happened in the poem—wine and meat rotting behind vermilion gates while frozen bodies lie by the roadside." Yue Fuguang swept her gaze over Emperor Mingxi and his ministers. "What does Your Majesty think?"
Emperor Mingxi quickly nodded. "Fuguang is right. The drought is critical, and the people are suffering. As those who are supported by the millions, it is indeed inappropriate for us to indulge in waste at this time."
He turned to Minister of Rites Zhang Zhongping. "Zhang Aiqing, the Longevity Festival this year need not be held. Instead, we will distribute porridge for seven days, celebrating with the people."
During a drought, avoiding lavish banquets was the right thing to do. Although their Dayan had Fuguang to bring rain, and the people were still faring reasonably well, as emperor, he still had to set an example—influencing officials at all levels since those above set the trend for those below.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Your Majesty is sagely—blessing to the people!"
"With Your Majesty, Dayan will endure for ten thousand generations!" That came from someone bold enough to say it.
"Your Majesty..."
The officials' flattery rained down like drumbeats. Judging by Emperor Mingxi's delighted expression, he was clearly pleased by the praise.
Yue Fuguang casually pointed a finger toward the sky. Without needing to chant any incantations for wind, clouds, or rain, the rolling dark clouds immediately unleashed a heavy downpour.
Her intention was to cool down the emperor, who seemed a bit carried away. But unexpectedly, although Emperor Mingxi was instantly soaked to the bone, the feeling was like drinking iced tea on a hot summer day—his heart soared.
How could it not soar?
Every member of the Dayan court was drenched like drowned rats. When Eunuch Qian tried to hold an umbrella for the emperor, Mingxi waved him off.
He squinted up at the rain crashing down from the sky, watching the parched fields and woodlands quickly become moist, the grass, trees, and crops in the fields rapidly rejuvenating under the nourishment of the rain.
The Dayan courtiers gazed at Yue Fuguang's departing carriage. Some wore smiles, some faces full of reverence, and others expressions of complex emotion.
True to her nature, Yue Fuguang didn't go to the palace but returned directly to the Yu residence.
She was, of course, warmly welcomed by the entire family. "Fuguang, are you tired? Do you want to rest first before eating?" the old Madam Yu asked, holding her granddaughter's hand, looking her over. "You've lost weight. This time you're back, you must take good care of yourself and get some nourishment!"
"Mother is right," added Madam Zhang, pouring Yue Fuguang a fresh cup of tea with a smile. "I've had the estate send over plenty of fresh ingredients—all of Fuguang's favorites. Fuguang, how many days can you stay at home this time?"
Though they lived within the deep confines of the inner courtyard, the women of the Yu family kept a close watch on the outside drought conditions. Especially after Fuguang left the residence, whenever they visited other households, the Yu ladies loved hearing the wives and madams praise how remarkable their Fuguang was, and how she had resolved droughts in various places.
Even the old Madam Yu, who rarely went out these days, had recently taken to making social calls. It was also the old Madam Yu and a few of her daughters-in-law who first caught wind of the rumors about the drought demon.
"Mother, this time I can only rest for three days." With summer approaching, the drought would be at its worst. Fortunately, her abilities were growing, and her efficiency was more than double what it used to be.
[System, is there any way I can make it rain across all of Dayan in one go?]
The system rolled its eyes. Its host was daydreaming!
Even ordinary cultivators in the cultivation world wouldn't dare think like that. Yet here was a mortal trying to achieve it. How was its host more arrogant than the emperor these days?
[Host, do you remember that you're just a mortal of flesh and blood? Although Dayan isn't huge, it spans thousands of li. Even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage couldn't manage that in the cultivation world.]
The system had recently recovered some memories. It had traveled through many realms large and small before, but though the memories were blurry, it actually knew the answer to Yue Fuguang's question.
[The shop does have powerful talismans with large water volume, like the Water Dragon Talisman, but those are attack talismans—meant for destruction, not salvation. Host, you wouldn't be able to handle them.]
Ninety-nine percent of talismans in the cultivation world were related to combat. Expecting cultivators to create talismans for the common people's livelihoods? Dream on!
[What about other worlds, like wastelands or star systems? Don't those technologically advanced worlds have weapons for creating rain?]
[They do, but if you use their weapons to bring down rain, the pollution would slowly kill everyone here. Would you dare use that?]
Yue Fuguang was disappointed. She wouldn't dare use anything that wasn't environmentally friendly. She didn't want to do good and end up causing harm instead.
Her current situation was excellent; she couldn't afford to mess it up just because she wanted to be lazy.
[System, you've changed.] Yue Fuguang said it casually, but the system took it to heart. It had also noticed that it sometimes spoke differently from when it was first awakened. It would have to fix that.
"Only three days? You're still so young—how can your body handle that? His Majesty..." The usually sensible old Madam Yu couldn't help feeling resentful toward the emperor.
Fuguang might be a divine maiden descended to earth, but she was still just a twelve-year-old girl, running all over the country. How could her body take it?
At that moment, the old Madam Yu had forgotten all about the miraculous medicines her granddaughter had at her disposal.
Yue Fuguang took the old Madam Yu's hand and comforted her with a smile. "Grandmother, it's actually because I wanted to go out and have some fun. Settling those droughts is just a side matter. Don't worry."
She then turned her gaze to the younger members of the Yu family sitting nearby, listening to the elders speak, letting her eyes rest especially on Yu Ningxin.