The harvest festival was underway in the capital city of the Empire. The decorations were complete and a lot of festive stalls were open in the city. Traders and farrs from various regions flocked to the capital. Fresh produce was being sold to the citizens at a reduced price. The abundance of the produce made the price lower. The people brought grains and produce with a smile on their faces.
Everything was affordable and they could survive the coming year with the bountiful harvest. It was a big deal for the poor families that try to survive on the bare minimum every season. During a bad harvest, these sections suffer the most due to the high prices of the produce and grains.
Hampi was covered in the vibrant decorations by the citizens. The arches and temple entrances were adorned with flower garland made of marigold and jasmine. Rangolis were drawn in front of everyone's house. It was made using a mix of rice flour and petals of flowers in the season.
Pandalas were erected in front of so houses or public areas for communities to gather and celebrate the joyous occasion. Pandalas were temporary shetlers propper by using banana stems and coconut fronds. They also displayed the harvest in a colorful and special way as a way to offer them to the deities. Bulls and cows adornnts were painted on the clothes and displayed as a token of their help.
The bulls and cows were decorated with a special cloth and bells as a sign of respect for their hard work to ensure the bountiful harvest.
Devotees flocked the Virupaksha temple in the capital to offer their prayers to the deity. The soldiers were deployed to patrol the streets and ensure the safety of the incoming citizens. They were also in charge of managing the crowd in the temple.
The line was too long since the devotees from many parts flocked to catch a glimpse of the deity. The soldiers managed the line and ensured that there was no mishap. Temporary canopies were erected by the soldiers to give shade to the devotees standing under the scorching sun.
They also ensured there was enough water for everyone to quench their thirst. Soldiers carried the water containers and ensured that no container was empty.
Outside the Virupaksha temple in a huge field, there were different events being held under the supervision of the temple. Carnatic music and devotional hymns were sang there. Devotees eagerly sat down on the ground to listen to the hymns.
On the other sides, there were skits of stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana by young n and won. There were also classical dances from various parts of the Empire featured.
Lastly, near the temple were the recitals of the holy scriptures and their fundantal ssage to the people. It was overseen by a priest from the Virupaksha Temple in the capital.
Flags of the Empire flew tall in every part of the capital. Temporary victory pillars were erected by the citizens. The news of the annexures of the Sultanate spread far and wide in the Empire. There was a positive impact of the news in the parts. The Emperor's reign was prosperous so far for the citizens. They had witnessed many changes and reforms that helped their daily lives.
The victory against the Sultanate reinforced the idea of safety under the Emperor's rule for them.
anwhile, the Royal Edict for the farming thod was successfully passed under the proxy leadership of Viswa. It was unanimously passed by the royal council. No one questioned his rit or status to lead the council. Everyone in the Council witnessed the work ethic of Viswa. It was unmatched and precise.
Little did Viswa know. Almost all of the Royal Council mbers, including the recently joined council mber Aradhana, admired him for his flawless planning and efficiency. They all strived to be as useful as Viswa to the Emperor. Viswa, on the other hand, had no idea about this and thought most of them held a hidden prejudice towards him.
He managed to present all the results and get it passed as quickly as possible. The ssengers were dispatched with the thod details to the huge farming regions first, then he focused on the more smaller regions. The bigger farrs change would eventually snowball into smaller ones.
Harsha, even on the day of the festival, was under a pile of work. He rarely took a rest from the Empire's work. The last ti he took so ti off was the little ti he spent with Gauri.
He sighed deeply and began to go through the papers piled up in his study room. Viswa entered with a smile, as he spent so ti with the old man. He was particularly fond of him. He saw that man as the father figure he never had.
'He is smiling, eh!. I wanted him to forge relationships as well.'
Harsha understood the importance of relationships after taking the throne. For the first ti during the coronation, he felt a surge of emotions. A foreign concept for him at the ti. Now he was able to show a bit of emotion here and there. Although the concepts of sadness and happiness were a bit foreign to him, he wanted to learn them. He was curious about those feelings.
'I also got a weird feeling spending ti with Gauri. I wonder what it is.'
He thought.
The emotions he lost during his ti at the research lab. He spent countless years enduring torture like tearing and rejoining the limbs without the painkiller dicines to increase the pain tolerance. Poison testing, ntal torture. He only rembers the pain from those days, nothing else. At so point he was able to kill anyone without a hint of remorse.
"Your Majesty." Viswa interrupted his thoughts with a wide grin.
"What is it?" Harsha shook his head and glanced up.
"Aren't you going to see the festivities?"
Harsha was also curious about the festivities. It would be the first ti he would enjoy a festival. Last year, the festival was lackluster and he couldn't join since he was so focused on building strength to take the throne.
This would be the first ti since he was transported to this world.
"I have to finish this first."
Viswa shook his head. "Your Majesty, I have taken care of everything. I think it's necessary to relax once in a while."
"You will beco ntally exhausted."
Harsha sighed and chuckled. "Ahh…"
He leaned back and stretched. Viswa was right. He was ntally taxed.
His thinking had significantly changed in this year. He didn't know how, but slowly but surely his thought process was changing.
"You are right! Guess I will indulge this ti." He smiled brightly.
He and Viswa went to the market district disguised as ordinary citizens. They didn't take anyone else. Harsha was safe with Viswa, who was the best bodyguard he could ask for in the capital.
The evening sun was dipping across the horizons. Tiny flickers of flas riddled the capital. Hundreds of diyas were lit up in the capital as the night began to fall. Every house and every shop had a diya. Everyone was happily talking and enjoying the festivities. Dances, feasts, and shopping. The night market had gas for kids and adults to enjoy.
Harsha watched and tried so of the gas. It was quite fun watching the kids cheering for him trying to get a toy. He eventually won a ga and gave a little girl the toy. She happily showed the toy to her elder brother and parents.
'This is quite enjoyable.'
He thought as he walked to the Virupaksha temple.
He witnessed the dance perford by young ladies. It was elegant; the illumination of the dim light of the flas made it even more fulfilling. The soft music was soothing, the young woman danced elegantly, and it seed as if the flas were also dancing to her whim.
"This is beautiful." He muttered, enamored by the dance.
He later watched so skits and heard so recitals of the holy scriptures. After hearing so scriptures, he wished to learn more about them.
Everything was a unique and new experience for him. He felt satisfied and relaxed after listening and enjoying the festivities in the capital.
With the final prayer at the Virupaksha temple. Harsha headed back to the royal palace. The stress in his mind was lifted. The ntal exhaustion was slowly fading, leaving him with a tinge of satisfaction. Read exclusive chapters at empire
Viswa smiled seeing the expression of Harsha. For the first ti, he saw a genuine smile on his master's face.
Harsha turned to Viswa. "It was a nice evening."
"It does seem you enjoyed it. Your Majesty."
"AHAHA, true. It was enjoyable. I experienced so new things."
Viswa smiled.
"Anyway, I have sothing to inform you." Harsha said with a serious look. "I will be departing tomorrow to Surat for the eting with the Marathas."
"I shall be accompanying you." Viswa said with a confident look.
"No, you will not. I have so other work for you."
"Huh?" Viswa went wide-eyed.
"I need to manage the aftermath of the annexure as my proxy."
Viswa went silent and thought.
He finally smiled.
"I will do as you command, Your Majesty."
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