原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
鄉老且退 The Elders Dismissed
國王道：「鄉老且退，就有雨來也。」鄉老謝恩而出。国王道：「乡老且退，就有雨来也。」乡老谢恩而出。
逐句解 Line by line
國王道：「鄉老且退，就有雨來也。」
国王道：「乡老且退，就有雨来也。」
The king said, “Elders, withdraw for now — rain will be coming shortly.”
且退 "withdraw for now." 就有雨來也 "there will be rain shortly" -- said without a moment's doubt, which is the whole trouble.
鄉老謝恩而出。
乡老谢恩而出。
The elders gave thanks and went out.
謝恩而出 "thanked him for the favour and went out."
The king sends the farmers away with a promise he has not checked. He is not lying: he genuinely believes his Preceptors can do this, because he has seen them do it before.
That confidence is about to be tested in public. The brevity of the exchange is deliberate -- the men whose fields are dying get a single speech and are ushered out, and the chapter goes back to the people with the power.