Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 270 Mysterious Man

The Cheng'an Marquis's residence has been very quiet lately.

Zhou Wangshu left early and returned late, busy with his official duties in the court, and did not notice anything unusual about the Cheng'an Marquis's residence.

However, Su Yaoguang discovered it.

Although Su Yaoguang was often busy at Taoyaofang, she spent more time at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence than Zhou Wangshu, and she was able to detect even the slightest disturbance.

"Do you have any way to sneak into the main courtyard and find out what's going on there?"

"Don't worry, young mistress, leave it to us."

Su Yaoguang waited in her room for news from the people she had sent out.

Not long after, they returned.

"The Lady of Cheng'an Marquis is no different from usual, but the Second Young Master is acting strangely."

"Why is it weird?"

"It's too quiet over there."

Su Yaoguang seemed to be deep in thought.

Xia Zhen, that evil spirit, caused trouble every day, and many people died at his hands. His sudden quietness is definitely not a good sign.

However, it wasn't so easy to get any more information. The main courtyard and Xia Zhen's courtyard were filled with their own trusted confidants.

When Zhou Wangshu returned at night, Su Yaoguang told him about the strange things that had happened that day.

While drying her hair, Zhou Wangshu said, "This matter is indeed a bit strange. I'll send someone to inquire about it."

The man Zhou Wangshu sent out quickly responded. Zhou Wangshu spoke with the man under the eaves outside for a while, and then returned shortly after.

"How about it?"

"The Tang family recently found a mysterious doctor who claims he can cure Xia Zhen's injuries. The reason they've been so quiet lately is because they're undergoing treatment. The mysterious doctor keeps Xia Zhen in a secret room every day, so naturally, things are quiet there."

"Aren't we going to stop them?"

“I won’t stop him,” Zhou Wangshu said. “That person can heal Xia Zhen’s physical injuries, and he can also heal his brain?”

Su Yaoguang had to admit that Zhou Wangshu's words were very insightful.

Xia Zhen's injury is not so easy to heal, so Zhou Wangshu doesn't need to pay attention to him. His focus now should be on Xiao Yanci.

Xiao Yanci has recently been promoted several ranks thanks to the Prime Minister's patronage. Even though the Emperor's initial impression of him wasn't very good, he has become increasingly satisfied with his performance lately, which has improved his overall impression of him.

Su Yaoguang heard about these things and knew that Xiao Yanci was using his memories from his previous life.

“Husband…” Su Yaoguang sat in Zhou Wangshu’s arms, hugging his neck, and said, “There will be an insect plague outside the city soon.”

Zhou Wangshu asked in surprise, "How did you know about this?"

Today in court, Xiao Ci also brought up this matter. The Emperor was very satisfied with his plan and has already sent him to handle the matter.

“But as far as I know, it’s not a real insect plague,” Su Yaoguang said. “Those insects are edible. If we encourage people to catch them and fry them, it would be a delicious dish, and the crops would be spared from damage.”

“Xiao Ci suggested using pesticides to kill them,” Zhou Wangshu said. “He said he had a doctor who had developed a drug that could effectively kill pests.”

"The pesticides can indeed kill the pests, but the crops will also be completely ruined, which is a devastating blow to the people. We not only need to solve the pest problem, but also minimize the losses to the people. Xiao Ci only knows how to solve the problem, but has not considered the root cause of the issue."

The most important thing about this matter is that the people lost their crops, and as a result, they not only couldn't pay their taxes, but also went hungry.

In her past life, Xiao Yanci also used poison to destroy crops and then ignored the lives of the people. He sat on his high throne, completely disregarding the needs of the people. However, she, who had acquired several estates at the time, went to the villages and witnessed the despair of the people after losing their crops. Many could not bear it any longer and committed suicide by drinking poison with their entire families.

It was because she witnessed these misfortunes that she began to pay attention to pests. Then she discovered that those pests weren't pests at all, but rather something edible.

"His Majesty has already believed his words. If I were to rashly express a different opinion, I fear it would make him think I am jealous of him. I must go to the countryside to find the pests there so that His Majesty can see them with his own eyes. Madam, would you be able to personally prepare a delicious dish using the pests?"

“Of course. Send people to catch more,” Su Yaoguang said. “I’ll set up a stall at the entrance of Taoyaofang and cook the pests into a delicacy in front of the whole city. Let everyone taste it, and they’ll know that these pests aren’t so scary.”

Zhou Wangshu hugged Su Yaoguang and kissed her repeatedly.

Seeing that he was acting improperly, Su Yaoguang got out of his arms and urged him to get down to business.

Zhou Wangshu also knew that getting down to business was the priority. Resolving this matter sooner would also prevent it from spreading, thus reducing the harm to the people.

Zhou Wangshu was very fast. Two hours later, his men arrived at Taoyaofang carrying more than a dozen buckets of strange insects with two pincers attached.

Su Yaoguang had already set up a stove at the entrance of Taoyaofang, and then stir-fried the strange insects with a lot of scallions and garlic in front of passersby.

“I know this strange insect. It has been ravaging the crops in the fields recently, and many crops have been killed by it.”

"It smells really good, is this stuff really edible?"

Su Yaoguang broke open the stir-fried strange insect, ate one in front of everyone, and said, "Anyone brave enough can try it."

Su Yaoguang, a woman, dared to eat it, and she was completely fine after eating it. When others heard her say that the brave could try it, many grown men couldn't resist her provocation and started eating the strange insects like her.

"It tastes good, very delicious."

“Really delicious.”

"So this strange insect is actually edible, and it tastes so good when stir-fried."

Su Yaoguang said to everyone, "Besides stir-frying it this way, you can also boil it in water and then dip it in some sauce. Actually, this strange insect is not scary. Look, just hold its shell like this and don't touch its pincers."

"If we catch them all and eat them, will there be no more pests?" "These things are only so small, how can they scare us? Let's see if they reproduce faster or we can eat them faster." Su Yaoguang said, "These things are more nutritious than meat, eating them can help nourish our bodies. This way, we can also get rid of pests for the crops."

Inside the palace. Su Rende sat at his desk next to the emperor, eating a strange insect.

The emperor stood to the side, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Have I been too lenient with you all this time? Even if you once saved my life, given your arrogant behavior over the years, if I wanted to chop you up, your head would have been chopped off several times over. And now, you actually dare to bring things from outside the palace to my presence and act recklessly."

"Your Majesty, I'm showing you something my own daughter presented to me as a gift. I didn't ask you to eat it, so you're just watching me eat. That doesn't seem like a violation of palace rules, does it?"

emperor:"……"

His gaze lingered on the strange insects.

"What is this thing? It's so ugly and strange. It looks like a scorpion but it's not a scorpion. Aren't you afraid of getting poisoned?"

“These are the pests that have been causing trouble in the fields outside the city lately. These things have killed a lot of crops for the people. My daughter said that eating them is revenge for the crops, and it can also be considered compensation for the people’s losses,” Su Rende said. “And I must say, my daughter’s cooking skills are really good. These things have eaten so many crops, and the meat is really delicious.”

The emperor saw a pile of shells in front of him, and the palace was filled with a rich fragrance.

He reached out and grabbed one, then broke it open and ate it, just like Su Rende had done.

"The taste is indeed very good."

"Don't eat it. You are the emperor and cannot eat anything from outside the palace."

"Who says I can't eat food from outside the palace? Besides, I'm eating food made by your daughter herself. If there's a problem, I'll wipe out your entire Su family. But I still trust you," the emperor said. "I must say, the more I eat, the more intoxicating it becomes. It's really quite good."

“My daughter has already organized the people to catch them themselves. She’s willing to buy them for five coins a pound. If the people can’t finish them, they can catch them and sell them to her. This stuff can both fill their stomachs and make money. I’m afraid even children will be willing to go into the fields to catch it. Even if it reproduces very quickly, it can’t withstand so many people catching it. Before, Lord Xiao suggested using poison to kill it. That poison is toxic. Once it’s killed, not only will the crops die, but the fields will also be contaminated. At least for three years, no crops can be grown. Your Majesty, I beg you to rescind your order and tell Lord Xiao not to use poison to kill the insects anymore.”

The emperor stopped what he was doing, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"You've been making me crave this all day, just for this." He reached out to the old eunuch beside him.

The old eunuch brought a handkerchief to wipe the grease off his hands.

"I am not a foolish ruler who does not eat grains. How could I not know what crops mean to the common people? Since there is a better way to get rid of pests, of course we should use the better way. Guards, convey my decree that the matter of pests outside the city shall be handled by Lord Zhou Wangshu."

Xiao Yanci had just come out of the Imperial Hospital and was heading to the Ministry of Revenue with a prescription for pest control written by the hospital to apply for funds for pest control.

He had just entered the Ministry of Revenue when he saw the Minister of Revenue hurrying out.

"Your Excellency, I have received His Majesty's decree to take charge of this pest control effort, and I need to apply to you for pest control funds."

The Minister of Revenue frowned and looked at Xiao Yanci, saying, "Lord Xiao, have you not yet met anyone from the palace?"

"Have people come from the palace? Is the Emperor pressing us hard? As long as Minister, you hurry up and allocate funds for pest control, I will immediately arrange for people to handle this matter and do my best to ensure that all crops are free from pests within half a month."

“Lord Xiao, there’s no need for such trouble,” the Minister of Revenue said. “His Majesty has already issued an edict entrusting this matter to Lord Zhou Wangshu. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. Of course, there’s no need to apply for the pest control funds either.”

"His Majesty clearly entrusted it to me..."

"Lord Xiao, are you saying that the Emperor has gone back on his word?"

That's not what I meant.

"In short, the information I have here is that the task of pest control has been handed over to Lord Zhou Wangshu. So far, Lord Zhou Wangshu has not applied to the Ministry of Revenue for pest control funds. He even sent someone to tell us that he wants to bring in some funds for the Ministry of Revenue, so that the Ministry of Revenue will have an additional source of income."

Being the purse strings of the imperial court was no easy task for the officials of the Ministry of Revenue! All the other departments needed money and had to go to the Ministry of Revenue, but the Ministry watched as the money flowed away like water, leaving the national treasury increasingly depleted. The officials were so worried their hair was practically turning white. Now, an official had told them they didn't need to spend any money and could even help them make money. How could the officials of the Ministry of Revenue not be excited?
Even if he didn't have the Emperor's decree, these officials from the Ministry of Revenue would still want to support him and say a few good words for him in front of the Emperor.

Anyone who doesn't ask them for money is a good person.

Don't be fooled by the large amount of taxes we pay each year; it's still not enough to cover our expenses.

Xiao Yanci's face was grim.

It's Zhou Wangshu again.

He finally had a chance to make a contribution, but Zhou Wangshu came and stole it from him.

Xiao Yanci had just come out of the Imperial Hospital and was unaware of what had happened outside. After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, he immediately sent people to investigate, only to learn that Zhou Wangshu had ordered people to catch and eat the pests.

“How could they possibly catch them all?” Xiao Yanci said. “I went to the fields outside the capital and saw that they were already infested with these strange insects. I can’t think of any faster way to get rid of them than with pesticides. They actually believe Zhou Wangshu’s method. In less than a day, they will be crying and admitting that they were being delusional.”

"Sir, what do we do now?" the subordinate asked.

"Since that's the Emperor's decree, we can only wait and see how they behave. When they lose control, they'll realize that my method is the fastest and best."

While Xiao Yanci returned to his residence to await the 'good news,' the fields outside the city were filled with joy, even more festive than during the New Year in previous years.

“One jin is five wen. We have this much in our fields, so it's probably twenty jin in total, which is one hundred wen. I remember there are some in the wasteland over there too. After we catch our own, we'll go catch some in those wastelands.”

"Our family is still too small. It would be better if it were a little longer."

“Father, I have an idea. Let’s keep a field specifically for raising these strange insects!” a woman said. “Since these strange insects are so delicious, the nobles in the city will definitely like to eat them. After we’ve caught all these strange insects, we’ll still have so many in this field, and we can sell them for a good price.”

"Wife, your idea is good, we can give it a try. Anyway, we'll only keep the smallest plot of land, so even if we harvest a little less, it won't have a big impact."

There are more than one such clever farmer; several other households share this idea.

Previously, everyone was worried about the existence of the strange insects. However, after only a few hours, when most of the strange insects in the field had been caught and there were not many left, they regretted that there were too few of them.

“Miss Su is right. No matter how powerful the strange insects are, can they be more powerful than people? With so many of us, if we cook and eat these strange insects, wouldn't that eliminate them? We can use this method if we encounter pests in the future.”

"Let's hurry into town and sell the strange insect while it's still early."

"Old Li's family has many sons, many wives, and many grandsons. The whole family caught 100 jin (50 kg) in the fields. I'm so envious."