Chapter 334

"My Lord~ My Lord!"

"Great news, great news has arrived."

The Prefect, who was watching a Daoist perform rituals to pray for rain, suddenly heard a report and hurriedly asked, "What good news is there?"

"My Lord, I just posted the notice, and four people—one woman and three men—have arrived, claiming to be from the Great Tang of the East. They successfully prayed for rain in the former Chechi Kingdom, and the people of the entire city were witnesses."

"Oh?" The Prefect was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Quick, quickly take me to them."

"Yes."

At the street corner.

Yes, it was on top of the building at the street corner that Sun Wukong had torn down the notice and was waving it above, attracting the attention of the people.

"Quickly bring your official here so that I, Old Sun, can pray for rain."

"Hurry, hurry."

Just as he was speaking, the Prefect had already arrived with his subordinates.

"Make way, quickly make way, the master has arrived."

The Prefect followed closely behind, and upon reaching Tang An and the others, he offered his respects first.

"This humble official is the Prefect of Fengxian Prefecture, surnamed Shangguan."

"I beg the Master to bring down sweet dew, to save all living beings, to save all living beings."

Tang An looked at the humble and polite Shangguan, thinking that when she was young, she had a rather good impression of this official.

At the very least, he looked humble and polite, single-minded, and his every word and action seemed to be for the sake of the people.

But looking back as an adult, she suddenly realized. If he were truly for the sake of the people, why were the people eating and wearing so little, with many starving to death?

And he, dressed in brocade and fine clothes, had enough grain stored in his home to let Bajie have a full meal until he was stuffed.

If that grain were used to provide relief to the disaster victims, how could Fengxian Prefecture be in such a state of starvation everywhere?

"This palace is not some Master."

"This palace is the Princess of Great Tang."

Shangguan was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt to pay his respects, "This humble official greets the Princess of Great Tang."

Tang An frowned, "You actually bow to me?"

Wherever she went, although she used every means to subdue various countries, the kings of those countries rarely showed her any courtesy when they first met her. The later courtesy was all because they had been beaten into submission by her.

But in the Prefect before her, Tang An saw fear and terror in his eyes.

In other words, did he know even more information than the kings of those small countries, and even know what she had done along this journey?

"The Great Tang is prosperous beyond compare, and the Princess of Great Tang has come in person; this humble official naturally cannot be discourteous."

Tang An sized up the Prefect and suddenly felt that this Prefect was somewhat interesting.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Princess." Shangguan stood up, "I wonder if the Princess is truly willing to pray for sweet dew for my Fengxian Prefecture?"

"Pray?" Tang An corrected him, "The sweet dew technique that this palace performs has never required the word 'pray'."

"You don't need to waste any more words; just take me to the place where you pray for rain."

"Yes, yes. Princess, please this way."

Shangguan led the way, and even ordered his subordinates to prepare a sedan chair to personally take Tang An to the place for praying for rain.

On the constructed rain-praying platform, there was still a Daoist burning talismans to pray for rain.

But the onlookers were clearly already very disappointed and no longer held any hope.

Tang An seemed to suddenly realize something, "You... who have you been inviting to pray for rain?"

"This humble official dares not deceive the Princess; naturally, they were all enlightened people who tore down the notice."

"Enlightened people?" Tang An rubbed the Wealth-Gathering Ring on her hand, "Have there never been any monks?"

"Uh..."

"This humble official thought that perhaps those who have left the secular world do not concern themselves with worldly affairs, so no Master has ever torn down the notice."

"Then what did you call this palace when you first saw me just now?"

"It is..." Shangguan wiped his sweat in anxiety and hurriedly offered his respects, "This humble official did not know it was the Princess who had come in person; if there was any lack of courtesy, I beg the Princess to forgive me."

Tang An stared at the Prefect Shangguan, then smiled and looked sideways at Yang Jian, "Who do you think he resembles?"

Yang Jian's expression was cold and stern as he glanced up at the sky.

His answer was self-evident.

This Prefect was simply not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He was too good at muddling through and playing dumb.

"The rain that so many Daoists could not pray for, I, who lead my disciples to Lingshan to seek the true scriptures, have prayed for."

"You tell me, is this ultimately my credit, or Lingshan's credit?"

"Or perhaps, Daoists are useless, and only by worshipping Buddha can one save the world?"

The Prefect turned pale upon hearing this and was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down.

His pale complexion was not fake, because he was very surprised that Tang An, at such a young age, could see through the methods he had hidden in secret.

And, she had pointed it out directly in front of him.

Such sharp questioning—if he answered poorly, it could be a disaster.

"This humble official... this humble official..."

"What humble official, humble official." Tang An took out a megaphone from her Wealth-Gathering Ring. "Since you won't speak, then listen to this palace."

"But when this palace speaks, you may only answer when asked."

"If you interrupt this palace's words, I presume you should know this palace's methods."

"Right, Prefect?"

Shangguan was terrified, not expecting Tang An to have seen through even this layer.

It was precisely because he had investigated Tang An's style of conduct in advance that he was so terrified.

"This humble official will strictly follow the Princess's orders and keep my mouth shut."

"Very good."

Tang An said this and then looked at the people below the platform, saying through the megaphone: "People of Fengxian Prefecture, listen to this palace."

Since Tang An and her group were the ones who had just torn down the notice, they naturally had attention on them. Plus, with the Prefect being so cautious and even kneeling to pay respects, the people's focus was naturally on her.

"This palace knows that in everyone's eyes, the Prefect of Fengxian Prefecture is a good official. To solve the drought in Fengxian Prefecture, he has labored and even spent quite a bit of money."

"Coincidentally, my disciples have once performed the thunder and rain technique; the people of Chechi City can all serve as witnesses to this."

"For this rain, this palace only needs to give an order, and the Dragon King will come to bring rain."

"It's just that..."

Halfway through her sentence, the people were naturally hooked by their curiosity and desire for survival.

"Just what?"

"You are merciful, please save us."

"Yes, yes, please save us."

"Shh..."

Tang An raised her finger and placed it gently on her lips, signaling the people to be quiet for a moment.

The people dared not say more, fearing that if they displeased Tang An, she would not bring them rain.

"It's just that this palace is the Princess of Great Tang, so naturally I must first look after the people of my Great Tang."

"The Prefect is a good Prefect who is diligent and loves the people. Since that is the case, you are willing to surrender to my Great Tang to save the people of the entire city, so you wouldn't have any objections, right?"

It's just moral kidnapping, who doesn't know how to do that?

When the people heard that only by becoming citizens of the Great Tang could they live, the crowd became agitated.

They didn't care at all whose citizens they were; they just wanted to live, nothing more.

If changing a monarch meant they could live, then they would gladly accept it.

Shangguan looked at the agitated crowd, his lips trembling; clearly, once Tang An arrived, things were out of his control.

"Princess, you are joking. This humble official... this humble official is just a local Prefect, it is truly..."

Tang An lightly tapped her lips with her index finger, and the pressure in her eyes made the Prefect close his mouth involuntarily.

"You talk too much, this palace is displeased."

After saying this, Tang An used the megaphone to say to the people: "Since the Prefect would rather die than surrender to the Great Tang and wants to take the people down with him."

"Then this Princess can only respect the Prefect's choice."

"Since that is the case, this Princess will just leave and not make things difficult for the Prefect."