Chapter 323: Chapter 269: Mysterious Figure (2)

Zhou Wangshu embraced Su Yaoguang and kissed her repeatedly.

Su Yaoguang, seeing his frivolous behavior, slipped out of his embrace and urged him to attend to his business.

Zhou Wangshu also knew the urgency of attending to official duties. By resolving this matter early, they could prevent it from escalating and protect the people from further harm caused by the pest.

Zhou Wangshu acted swiftly. Two hours later, his men arrived at Taoyao Square with a dozen buckets filled with strange insects with two pincers.

Su Yaoguang had already set up a stove at the entrance of Taoyao Square, and then, in front of passersby, stir-fried the strange insects with a large amount of onions and garlic.

"I know this strange insect. Recently, it has been damaging the crops in the fields, ruining many of them."

"It smells quite good. Can this thing really be eaten?"

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

Seeing a woman like Su Yaoguang eat it without any issue, and hearing her challenge, many men couldn’t resist and followed her example by eating the insect.

"It tastes good, really delicious."

"Indeed, it’s delicious."

"So this strange insect can really be eaten, and it tastes so good when stir-fried."

Su Yaoguang said to the crowd, "Aside from stir-frying, you can also boil them in water and dip them in sauce. Actually, these strange insects aren’t scary. See, as long as you hold them by the shell and don’t touch the pincers, it’s fine."

"If we all catch and eat them, wouldn’t there be no pest problem?"

"These things are small; can they really intimidate us? Let’s see whether they spread faster or we eat them faster." Su Yaoguang said, "These have more nutrients than meat, and eating them can be beneficial to our bodies. This is also helping to protect the crops."

In the Imperial Palace, Su Rende sat by the Emperor’s desk, eating one of the strange insects.

The Emperor stood by, hesitating to speak.

"Have I spoiled you too much in the past? Even though you saved my life, given your outrageous behavior over the years, if I had wanted to execute you, your head would have been chopped off a few times by now. And now, you dare to bring things from outside the palace and behave recklessly in front of me."

"Emperor, I’m just showing you a gift from my beloved daughter. I’m not making you eat it; you’re just watching me eat. That doesn’t break palace rules, right?"

Emperor: "..."

His gaze lingered on the strange insects.

"What on earth is this? So ugly and bizarre, like a scorpion but not a scorpion. Aren’t you afraid of getting poisoned?"

"This is the pest plaguing the fields outside the city recently, the one ruining many of the people’s crops. My daughter said eating them is a way to avenge the crops, compensating for the people’s losses," Su Rende said, "And I must say, my daughter is quite skilled; this creature, after eating up so much crop, really has delicious meat."

The Emperor noticed a pile of shells in front of him and the rich aroma wafting through the palace.

He picked one up, followed Su Rende’s example, and started eating.

"The taste is indeed not bad."

"You shouldn’t eat it; you’re the Emperor, you shouldn’t eat things from outside the palace."

"Who says I can’t eat things from outside the palace? Besides, I’m eating what your daughter made with her own hands. If there’s a problem, it would still wipe out the Su Family’s nine generations. But I still trust you," the Emperor said. "I must say, it’s quite addictive, really not bad."

"My daughter has already organized the people to catch and eat them themselves. She’s willing to purchase them at the price of five cents a pound. If the people can’t finish eating them, they can catch and sell to her. This thing can fill the stomach and make money. Even the children will want to go to the fields to catch them. No matter how fast they reproduce, they can’t withstand being caught by so many people. Previously, Lord Xiao suggested using poison, but that poison is toxic; if used, not only will the crops die, but the fields will be contaminated, and no crops can be planted for at least three years. Emperor, please retract that order and prevent Lord Xiao from using poison to eliminate the pests."

The Emperor paused his actions, deep in thought.

"You’ve tempted me here all day just for this." He reached out toward the elder eunuch beside him.

The elder eunuch took a cloth to wipe the oil from his hands.

"I’m not an ignorant ruler who doesn’t appreciate the vital importance of crops to the people. If there’s a better way to control the pests, of course, we’ll use the better method. Someone, pass on my decree: the matter of the pests outside the city is now entrusted to Zhou Wangshu, Mr. Zhou."

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