Chapter 21

The ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and praying for blessings is a major event in the eyes of the common people, merely to gain the necessary self-comfort in their hearts; it is also a necessary procedure in the eyes of officials, who use it to clothe themselves in the guise of acting on behalf of heaven, thereby better controlling the people.

To Zhao Junchen, however, the so-called ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and praying for blessings is the best opportunity for creating momentum and putting on a show.

Indeed, in Zhao Junchen's eyes, the so-called ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and praying for blessings, at its core, is a momentum-building and show, to make the people follow him with peace of mind in exterminating locusts and to improve his tarnished reputation in the court and among the people.

On this day, outside the city of Luan'an, the people gathered in droves, forming a sea of humanity. Not only did the people from the surrounding areas of the city come, but also officials and merchants from within Shanxi Province, as well as the gentry and elders of Luan'an, all the prominent figures, were present. They all gathered around the sacrificial altar hastily erected overnight, watching the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and praying for blessings.

At this moment, near the altar, the sound of gongs and drums was deafening, and firecrackers were going off. Monks were chanting scriptures, Taoist priests were performing rituals, charlatans were praying, and witches were performing their dances. Although it was a hodgepodge and not formal, it even made people laugh, but it did take into account the emotions of all believers.

It must be said that this was very effective. Exterminating locusts is a major event in the eyes of the people. No one knew if the legendary Locust God was a vengeful deity. Now, seeing the representatives of all the deities gathered here, the people's anxious and uneasy emotions were somewhat calmed.

When it was noon and the sun was high in the sky, the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven finally entered the main part.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, amidst the cheers of the officials and merchants, Zhao Junchen, dressed in sacrificial attire, slowly ascended the altar to the accompaniment of elegant music.

Then, the firecrackers stopped, the gongs and drums ceased, and the monks, Taoist priests, charlatans, and witches also stopped their respective rituals. The quiet atmosphere around the altar began to spread, and soon, a solemn silence prevailed. All eyes were on Zhao Junchen.

Seeing this, Zhao Junchen nodded in satisfaction, then took out the sacrificial text prepared by Liu Chang'an and recited it in the loudest voice possible.

"Heaven's way is supreme, we join together in reverence, bowing our heads, we pledge to take on the responsibility, offering the three sacrificial animals, we pray for protection..."

Halfway through, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but frown, doubting whether the people could understand this obscure and difficult-to-understand sacrificial text.

However, Zhao Junchen also knew that the people did not really care about the content of the sacrificial text; they only valued its solemn and mysterious nature. If Zhao Junchen were to use plain language to offer sacrifices to heaven, the people might even look down on the ritual.

Looking up, he saw that every person was solemn and respectful.

After finally finishing the sacrificial text, Zhao Junchen put it away and began to explain the purpose of the ritual in plain language to the people.

"People, heaven is not benevolent and has sent a locust plague to Luan'an. Despite a year of hard work, we have reaped nothing. Fortunately, Governor Liu is capable and promptly reported to the court. The emperor, who loves his people, promptly sent grain to help. However, the locust plague has not stopped but has become more severe, spreading to Taiyuan and Hedong. If the misfortune of Luan'an spreads throughout Shanxi, chaos will surely ensue. At that time, even with the court's assistance, Luan'an will not be safe. Therefore, for the stability of the country and to prevent the recurrence of the locust plague next year, I have made up my mind to exterminate the locusts!"

Although the people had already received the news, hearing Zhao Junchen's words caused a slight commotion among them. The whispers and murmurs of the people mixed together, creating a buzzing sound.

"Silence!!"

Seeing this, Liu Chang'an, who was sitting nearby, stood up and shouted.

Liu Chang'an had been the governor of Luan'an for many years and had already established his authority in the hearts of the people. Therefore, the people quickly quieted down.

After nodding slightly to Liu Chang'an in appreciation, Zhao Junchen continued to speak loudly: "I know that everyone is worried that this locust plague is a heavenly punishment, a deliberate act of the Locust God. Rashly exterminating the locusts might invite the Locust God's retribution. But I hereby declare that this locust plague is not a heavenly punishment. I believe that the people of Luan'an are simple and kind and have not done anything to offend heaven. If so, why would heaven punish Luan'an? Even if this locust plague is the work of the Locust God, I am willing to pray to heaven and earth, taking full responsibility for the extermination of the locusts, which is done to save the people. If heaven is displeased and sends punishment, I, Zhao Junchen, will bear it alone and will not shift the blame to others!!"

The last sentence, which Zhao Junchen had repeated countless times in recent days, was said with great fluency and a louder voice, resonating through the ears of the surrounding people. Under the lead of the officials, merchants, gentry, and elders, a chorus of cheers broke out.

Even those who were far away and could not hear Zhao Junchen's words clearly had "well-meaning people" who had been prepared for a long time, repeating Zhao Junchen's words to the surrounding people, adding the exclamation, "This Zhao大人 is truly a good official!"

These "well-meaning people" were, of course, arranged by Zhao Junchen in advance.

The people of this era were simple and ignorant, easily swayed by "what others say." Seeing Zhao Junchen's performance and hearing the praise of those around him, they all thought to themselves, "This imperial envoy, Zhao大人, indeed seems to be a good official. He is willing to bear the heavenly punishment alone to save us common people. Previously, some said he was a corrupt official, but it must be that someone is slandering him."

Thinking this, the people's cheers for Zhao Junchen grew even louder.

Finally, after the people's cheers subsided, Zhao Junchen was about to continue speaking when a sudden change occurred.

A young man's voice suddenly rang out from below the altar.

"Imperial envoy, if you truly have the people's welfare at heart, why did you arrest and detain dozens of innocent people due to a misunderstanding, neither trying them nor releasing them, causing dozens of good families to cry at night and making countless people live in constant fear?"

Following the voice, Zhao Junchen saw that near the sacrificial platform, a group of scholars had gathered, led by a man about his age, with a simple and honest face, dressed in a blue robe, who was now looking at Zhao Junchen with a slightly provocative expression.

In this era, scholars held a high status in the hearts of the people, so they easily reached the front of the altar, and the surrounding people even made way for them to avoid crowding them.

Seeing this sudden change, Zhao Junchen had not yet spoken when Liu Chang'an stood up again, his face full of anger, and shouted, "Zhang Qicheng, after the rioters threw stones at the imperial envoy, you dared to celebrate in the street. I haven't settled accounts with you yet, and now you dare to provoke again. Do you think that because your father was a former Minister of Personnel, I can't arrest you? Do you think I don't know that the rioters were incited by you?!"

Zhang Qicheng, however, was not intimidated by Liu Chang'an's authority and coldly said, "The ancients said, 'Wealth and rank cannot corrupt, power and might cannot subdue.' Liu Chang'an, others may fear you, this corrupt official, but I do not. The people are simple and easily swayed. Some corrupt officials think they can deceive the world with a show of righteousness. I have come forward to awaken the people, so they are not deceived by corrupt officials!"

Saying this, Zhang Qicheng looked at Zhao Junchen again, his provocative expression even more pronounced.

"What is this Zhang Qicheng all about?"

While Zhang Qicheng and Liu Chang'an were arguing, Zhao Junchen asked a nearby official from Luan'an.

The Luan'an official, with a face full of anger, explained to Zhao Junchen, "This Zhang Qicheng's father was the former Minister of Personnel, Zhang Xuan. After being dismissed from office, he ranted about 'corrupt officials rampant in the Ming Dynasty' and finally died of illness a few years ago. We thought things would be quieter, but this Zhang Qicheng has the same stubborn nature as his father, even more so. He has caused a lot of trouble for the governor over the years. However, because his father had several close friends in the court, the governor could not easily punish him. As a result, Zhang Qicheng has become increasingly lawless."

Zhao Junchen nodded thoughtfully, looking at the righteous and indignant Zhang Qicheng, feeling secretly pleased, thinking, "This Zhang Qicheng has come just in time!"

On the other side, Liu Chang'an was so angry at being called a "corrupt official" that he was fuming. He shouted at the surrounding constables, "What are you waiting for? Bind this man and take him to prison!"

"Hold it!!"

At this moment, Zhao Junchen suddenly spoke, stopping them.