With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

Shen Jingchuan sighed softly, then said with an extremely solemn expression, "Locust plague! A locust plague is about to break out!"

"The fields within Yong'an City are teeming with locust eggs, and the situation is largely the same in the surrounding counties..."

"A good harvest is still far off. If the locust plague arrives, there will likely be no harvest in Liuzhou. Not only the people, but the soldiers will also starve to death!"

"Moreover, once famine breaks out and food becomes scarce, the Northern barbarian cavalry will definitely take advantage of the situation..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chengan's expression changed drastically.

He had barely stepped into Yong'an City, and before he could even get his footing, a locust plague broke out.

Shen Jingchuan is right. If a locust plague breaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable.

We must find a way to stop the locust plague!

Just as Ye Cheng'an was pondering a solution to the locust plague, Zhao Xuefu's voice rang in his ears, "Ye Cheng'an, I know you have a heart full of ambition, but natural disasters are unavoidable. Liuzhou is not a place to stay for long. Rather than wasting time here and being captured by barbarian soldiers in the future, why not come back to the capital with me and have a bright future to realize your ambitions?"

"My father has sent a royal decree, saying that he fully supports my decision. I can choose who to marry simply by writing down the name on the decree he sent."

"Come back to the capital with me, and I will grant you a lifetime of wealth and honor."

As Zhao Xuefu spoke, her beautiful eyes gazed intently at Ye Cheng'an with utmost seriousness.

She couldn't quite explain her feelings for Ye Cheng'an, but no matter what, she couldn't just stand by and watch such a talented person as Ye Cheng'an perish!

However, Ye Cheng'an did not answer her question. Instead, he stared intently at Shen Jingchuan and said seriously, "I have a way to control the locust plague."

Shen Jingchuan frowned, then said, "Young Master, you're not joking, are you? No one in history has ever successfully controlled locust plagues. Historical records show that wherever locusts go, nothing grows, famine breaks out, and corpses of the starved are everywhere..."

Zhao Xuefu also looked at Ye Cheng'an with a look of inquiry and suspicion, as if she was considering whether what he said was true or false.

Seeing that no one believed him, Ye Cheng'an didn't argue. He only said to Shen Jingchuan, "Anyway, things have come to this point, we can only try anything. If you believe me, there's still a glimmer of hope. If you don't believe me, we can only wait to die. Why not give it a try?"

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Jingchuan gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, this humble official is willing to give it a try, Young Master. May I ask what this humble official needs to do?"

Ye Chengan said, "As things stand, most of the locusts are still in their larval stage, which is the best time for us to control the locust plague! I want you to gather all the chickens and ducks in all the counties under your jurisdiction and let them kill these larvae."

"In addition, for fields that the chicken and duck brigade cannot reach temporarily, lime water can be sprayed, which is also effective in killing locusts and their eggs."

"Secondly, and most importantly, the locust eggs that appear in the fields must also contain adult locusts. Announce this: from today onwards, the Prefect of Yong'an City will purchase locusts at a high price. Villagers can catch them themselves and sell them to the government, or catch locusts to offset taxes."

"Will this... work?" After hearing Ye Cheng'an's three plans, Shen Jingchuan felt that they were somewhat unreliable.

After all, he had never heard of such methods for controlling locusts before.

"Whether it works or not, we have to try to find out," Ye Chengan said.

"I'll make the arrangements right away," Shen Jingchuan said, turning and leaving, completely forgetting about Ye Cheng'an and Zhao Xuefu.

Watching his hurried departure to control the locusts, Ye Cheng'an couldn't help but think more highly of him. He had put himself and the princess behind him in order to control the locusts. It seemed that Shen Jingchuan, the prefect of Yong'an City, was a man of action.

We can observe them further before deciding whether to reuse them.

"Zhuyu, Zhongbo, now that Lord Shen has begun to arrange for the management of the locust plague, we should also start preparing for the eldest son's residence. From now on, we will live here!" Ye Cheng'an was in high spirits after leaving the Northern Royal Court.

This place will become his first stronghold, and thousands of years later, it will surely be bustling with visitors and worshippers!

Zhongbo and Zhuyu led a group of servants into the mansion and began to tidy it up.

Although it was called tidying up, Shen Jingchuan had already had the mansion cleaned before Ye Chengan arrived.

Pearls and jade were merely items to be placed as gifts.

Seeing this, Zhao Xuefu followed. "Ye Cheng'an, are you really planning to stay here? To control the locust plague?"

Ye Cheng'an nodded. "Didn't the princess see it all?"

"But what if we fail to control the locust plague..." Zhao Xuefu's eyes showed some worry. "You should be able to imagine the situation we'll be in then."

"Are you really not afraid of internal and external troubles, and dying here?"

Ye Cheng'an smiled faintly, "Success or failure, I will give it a try. The lives of royalty are lives, but the lives of commoners of humble origins are also lives!"

"I was able to escape, but what about the people? Am I supposed to just sit idly by and watch them starve to death, or die under the hooves of the northern barbarian cavalry?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Ye Cheng'an's method for controlling the locust plague incorporated some of the most successful strategies in history, and he was quite confident in it.

But now, he doesn't intend to reveal the truth to Zhao Xuefu. In fact, he plans to use this opportunity to scare her away...

Once Zhao Xuefu returns to the court, he will no longer have to worry about having court spies around him interfering with his ambitions.

"On the contrary, the princess shouldn't be staying here." Ye Cheng'an stared intently at Zhao Xuefu and said, word by word, "To be honest, I have no confidence in controlling the locust plague."

"If the locust control fails, famine will ensue, and corpses will litter the land. The northern barbarian army will seize the opportunity to invade, and if the princess falls into their hands..."

Zhao Xuefu's face was grim. Ye Cheng'an was right. As a princess, if she fell into the hands of the Northern Barbarians, the face of the Great Qian royal family would be humiliated. The Northern Barbarians might not even be willing to use her to coerce her father into making many concessions.

But for some reason, Ye Cheng'an's fearless demeanor in the face of danger, and his words, "The lives of princes and nobles are lives, but the lives of commoners of humble origins are also lives!" stirred up a storm in her heart.

Ye Cheng'an was merely the son of the Northern King, a deposed heir who was banished to Liuzhou to fend for himself, yet he was still so selfless and fearless, unwilling to abandon the people and become a deserter.

What about her?

As the ninth princess of the Great Qian Dynasty and her father's most beloved daughter, she enjoyed countless honors and the support of the people, so she had even less right to abandon the people and run away.

"Even the eldest prince hasn't deserted, how can I?" Zhao Xuefu said, each word distinct. "I will represent the royal family and remain in Liuzhou! I will stand with the eldest prince through thick and thin, and live and die with the people of the Northern Border!"

"Hongluan, Ningshuang, exchange all the silver I brought on this trip for grain. I need to stockpile grain first to prepare for the future. If famine really strikes, having grain on hand will allow us to help more people and stabilize the situation in Liuzhou..."

"Furthermore, send word back to the capital about the situation in Liuzhou, and instruct Father to prioritize the collection of grain. If the situation here truly spirals out of control and the Northern King refuses to provide assistance, the Imperial Court will come to our aid! Liuzhou is not only territory of the Northern Border, but also territory of our Great Qian! No matter what, we will not yield an inch of our Great Qian territory!!!"

"..." Ye Cheng'an never expected that Zhao Xuefu, who came to reclaim the northern border, would have such a broad mind and spirit.

Despite facing locust plagues and threats from the northern barbarians, they still had to vow to defend Liuzhou.

This was completely different from the princesses he remembered who were spoiled and pampered.

He suddenly realized that Zhao Xuefu wasn't so annoying after all; in fact, she was quite pretty.

No wonder she is the most beautiful woman in the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Zhao Xuefu noticed Ye Cheng'an's gaze and blushed.

Ye Cheng'an said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly thought that the princess is very beautiful."

This was the first time Zhao Xuefu had heard Ye Cheng'an praise her.

Since arriving in the Northern Territory, no matter how much she tried to befriend Ye Cheng'an, he always kept her at arm's length. Only today was different.

"Then why did you repeatedly reject my advances? I am so beautiful, do you really not want to marry me?" Zhao Xuefu asked.

After a moment's thought, Ye Cheng'an said, "If the princess is willing not to return to the court and stay here with me forever, I might be willing."

Faced with Ye Cheng'an's words, Zhao Xuefu did not give an answer, and her expression did not change in the slightest. However, she knew very well in her heart that her heart was no longer calm. It was as if a gentle breeze had blown by, causing ripples to spread...

This experience was something she had never had before—beautiful, subtle, and something she was afraid to let others know.

"We can discuss this later. Right now, the most important task is to control the locust plague and ensure the survival of the people of Liuzhou! Alright, you've had a long journey. I'll go and rest now. If you need anything regarding disaster relief, feel free to contact me."

After saying this, Zhao Xuefu quickly left, hoping that Ye Cheng'an would succeed in controlling the locusts...

Otherwise, if the northern barbarian army invades, she will have no choice but to die to uphold her chastity if she does not want to become a plaything of those barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood!

Ye Cheng'an, you must not disappoint me.