Chapter 71.1 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip~
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In the midst of the mountains, a driverless horse-drawn carriage moved forward at a leisurely pace. Although there was no coachman to direct it, the horses seemed to possess a remarkable instinct, capable of changing direction on their own.
Inside the carriage, there were only a black cat and a hamster.
The black cat picked up a piece of steamed bun, examined it briefly, fought the temptation, and finally placed it aside, lamenting, “Still no fish to eat.”
Li Jinyu leaned against the window, focusing his gaze outside with a hint of worry. “The spring drought this year is quite weird.”
“What makes it weird?”
“We have been away from the capital for so long, and we haven’t had any rainfall yet.”
Qingshui Prefecture could be considered a county near the capital with abundant water sources, and its fishing industry was thriving. However, throughout the journey, the water levels of the surrounding rivers and lakes had significantly dropped.
If even Qingshui Prefecture was facing such a situation, wouldn’t it be more severe as the headed further northeast?
“What’s so weird about it? There are always times of severe drought. It’s just unfortunate.”
“But what about this year’s harvest?”
The black cat initially wanted to mock Li Jinyu for his excessive concern, but then it remembered that this foolish hamster had become the legitimate Great Emperor Di. So, worrying about such matters was indeed his own business.
It made a disapproving face and said, “Look at those water management projects, they should prevent any major problems.”
“I’m a bit worried about the locust plague that Old Zhang mentioned.” Li Jinyu expressed his concerns with a troubled look on his face. “Can a locust plague be easily dealt with?”
The black cat rolled its eyes and replied, “How would I know? Besides, it was just his guess.”
“True, it was just a guess, but after hearing it, I’ve had this lingering uneasiness in my heart.” The plump hamster jumped down from the window, grabbed a piece of steamed bun, and took a bite, feeling agitated. “It’s a difficult feeling to describe… as if something really might happen.”
The black cat looked at him with a hint of surprise, wrinkling its brow. “Instinct?”
“Hmm.”
“Are you missing Huo Caiyu too much lately?”
“It has nothing to do with that!” Li Jinyu’s ears twitched, and a slight blush colored his cheeks.
Although he did indeed miss Huo Caiyu.
“If it’s not because you’re lovesick…” The black cat examined him up and down, its tone somewhat sour. “Then it might be a premonition.”
Li Jinyu had always considered premonition as an abstract word. “Premonition?”
“I’m not sure either, but now you’re the Emperor of the Di Dynasty, embodying the entire Ziwei imperial aura and closely linked to the fate of the Di Dynasty.” The black cat spread out its paw. “If there were significant events that could affect the destiny of the whole nation, it would be normal for you to have a premonition.”
“Can a locust plague… affect the destiny of the nation?”
“I haven’t personally witnessed a locust plague, so how would I know?”
Li Jinyu thought for a moment. “Then, when we reach the next town, let’s ask around and gather information.”
Being the “major granary” of the Di Dynasty, several northeastern prefectures, including Qingshui Prefecture, had relied on farming for generations. The older generation had gathered a great deal of wisdom and experience.
Li Jinyu and the black cat, both taking human forms, had pleasant appearances, and the elderly folks were happy to share their knowledge with them.
“A locust plague… we really hope we won’t encounter one. If a locust plague occurs, the entire year will be wasted.”
“When the elderly folks were young, they experienced a locust plague once. The locusts covered the sky like a dark cloud—they devoured crops at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, an entire field would be completely devoured.”
Li Jinyu felt a slight shiver in his heart. “Can’t they be caught?”
“Caught?” The elderly person put down his pipe, shaking his head with a sigh. “Those locusts fly swiftly, and their numbers are plentiful… Even with ten thousand people, we wouldn’t be able to catch them all. Besides, they move on to the next field as soon as they finish devouring one. We can’t catch up with them.”
“Then how did the government deal with it in the past?”
“How could it be dealt with?” The elderly person smiled bitterly. “We could only watch helplessly as the locusts consumed everything in our land. The government could only wait for the locust plague to end and then purchase and provide us with seeds to replant.”
Li Jinyu felt a heavy burden in his heart.
If the information they had gathered from these elderly folks was accurate, then the locust plague would leave the land desolate, causing a devastating blow to agriculture in this northeastern region.
“Are there any ways to prevent locust plagues?”
The elderly person hesitated for a moment, picked up his pipe, and pondered for a while before saying, “There used to be some methods, but they haven’t been practiced in recent years.”
“What method?”
“About five or six years ago, during this season, the counties used to hire people specifically to work on loosening the soil and clearing weeds in the fields.” The old man took a leisurely puff of his pipe and let out a sigh. “They said they used some method to kill off the locust eggs in the soil… But in recent years, the county officials have been too busy and have no time to deal with this matter.”
By the end, there was a touch of sarcasm in the old man’s voice.
Li Jinyu: “…”
That’s right, ever since Emperor Jingchang and Prime Minister Ye ascended to power, the court and the people have been suffocating in corruption. How could they still prioritize matters that require spending money and manpower?
He lowered his head and exchanged a glance with the black cat.
“Now that the Regent Prince is ruling, haven’t they started taking preventive measures against locust plagues?”
The old man shook his head. “How would we common folks know? Anyway, this year, no one is paying attention to it.”
Li Jinyu expressed his gratitude to the old man and returned to the carriage, holding the black cat in his arms.
Once inside the carriage, he immediately transformed back into his hamster form, conserving his limited spiritual energy.
“So, where else are we going?” the black cat, now no longer in human form, jumped onto the cushion in the carriage.
Li Jinyu contemplated for a moment. “I plan to visit the county yamen.”
“Why do you want to go to there?”
“Since the Prime Minister disbanded, Huo Caiyu should have already reestablished the necessary matters from before. So why isn’t anyone taking care of such an important matter as preventing locust plagues? Could it be that someone in the county yamen has embezzled the money intended for this area?” Li Jinyu analyzed, looking eagerly at the black cat. “We also need to find out the specific methods and effectiveness of preventing locust plagues.”
The black cat squinted its eyes and, in response to Li Jinyu’s expectant gaze, a sense of foreboding arose in its heart. “What do you plan to do?”
“I’ve nearly depleted my spiritual energy just now, so…”
“Don’t even think about it. Why should I care?” The black cat refused without hesitation.
“You’ve also served as Prime Minister Ye for a while. Considering the current situation in Di Dynasty, you can’t deny it has nothing to do with you, right?”
The black cat fell silent and then stared wide-eyed. “Why should I concern myself with the lives of humans?”
“This is also for your own sake.” Li Jinyu had a rare moment of insight and carefully analyzed, “The harvest in the Northeast, being the major granary of Di Dynasty, almost determines the empire’s survival. In normal times, it might not be a big issue, but Huo Caijin is still fighting against Jiao Kingdom! The Ministry of Revenue is already strained. If a locust plague breaks out in the Northeast, we would have to withdraw troops to ensure we won’t starve to death next year.”
Initially, Huo Caiyu estimated that the war against Jiao Kingdom would take a year. Although subsequent reports indicated faster progress, fighting in a foreign land cannot be resolved quickly.
Even for Di Dynasty, such a prolonged battle was an immense burden.
“So what does that change?”
“If our army withdraws and fails to capture Jiao Kingdom, we’ll still have to defend Beiyue Pass in the future.” Li Jinyu blinked his eyes, “Do you remember who guarded the pass in the novel?”
The black cat replied, “…Chi Zhongming is now Prince Mao.”
“That makes it even more urgent.”
The black cat held its breath, wanting to stubbornly retort, “It’s none of my concern.” But in the end, it yielded under Li Jinyu’s understanding gaze.
It glared fiercely at Li Jinyu, then turned its head and leaped out of the window.
………
It was already late at night when the black cat returned
After Li Jinyu transformed back into a hamster, his daily routine returned to his hamster habits. He wasn’t sleepy at all and looked alertly at the black cat. “So, any results?”
“There is some information.” The black cat’s complexion wasn’t great. It shook its body and continued, “But it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with embezzlement.”
“Then what?”
“The current county magistrate was a newcomer who took office just last year. After reviewing the county’s past records and seeing no problems without pest control, he thought that controlling locusts would only reduce the occurrence. Therefore, he decided to cut it off this year.”
Li Jinyu felt frustrated. “How could this happen? Who appointed him to the position?”
The black cat chuckled. “Weren’t they the ones who passed the imperial examination that you supervised?”
Li Jinyu: “…”
Initially, those recruited newcomers were supposed to undergo a period of training. However, after the Prime Minister was overthrown, there were vacancies in the court, and they had to be appointed earlier than planned.
Huo Caiyu had been cautious enough to not assign important positions to unreliable individuals. A position like the county magistrate, which solely tested personal abilities and wouldn’t encounter major issues if one followed the rules, was particularly suitable.
It was unexpected that this county magistrate overlooked the issue of locust control.
Li Jinyu made a strong mental note of the county magistrate and planned to lodge a complaint with Huo Caiyu upon returning to the capital.
He wondered if such situations were common in these counties but didn’t have the time to investigate each one individually.
After careful thought, he said, “I intend to write a letter to Huo Caiyu.”
The black cat paused and asked, “Write a letter?”
Li Jinyu explained, “It might not be too late to start locust control now. If I write a letter to Huo Caiyu, he can give orders, and the process shouldn’t take more than a month.” Li Jinyu calculated in his mind, “There’s still enough time.”
The black cat tilted its head back and furrowed its brow. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll take advantage of the situation and come looking for us?”
Li Jinyu replied enthusiastically, “Once we send the letter, we’ll leave immediately. We’ll definitely make it on time!” He eagerly planned, “Besides, I won’t tell him we’re going to Mount Yuan.”
After considering it, the black cat nodded and said, “That sounds reasonable.”
In the towns and cities of Di Dynasty, there were post stations where letters could be written on behalf of others, and the government had a specialized channel for sending messages through carrier pigeons.
Sending ordinary letters back to the capital city involved long and complicated procedures, but the government channel was more dependable.
Li Jinyu and the black cat sneaked into the post station of the county yamen and found the section for sending carrier pigeon messages.
Although they didn’t know the proper procedures, the station’s pigeons did.
Every day, the pigeons observed the station officials filling out letters and sending them to higher authorities, becoming well-acquainted with the entire process.
After some communication with the pigeons, Li Jinyu reached a satisfactory agreement and exchanged a handful of millet for the arrangements to send the letter.
The only issue was… it was too noisy.
“Why would a mouse and a cat coexist peacefully?”
“Mouse tails aren’t usually this short, right?”
“Maybe a cat bit it off.”
“Oh my, cats are so frightening.”
“Why doesn’t the cat simply eat the mouse?”
“Perhaps it wants to fatten the mouse up before having a meal.”
“Or maybe it wants to wait for the mouse’s tail to grow back and have an extra treat every day. I recall some animals can quickly regenerate their tails once they are cut off.”
“Hey, little mouse, can your tail grow back?”
Li Jinyu: “…”
Black cat: “…”
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