Folk wisdom says that when locusts pass through, not a blade of grass remains.

The Liu Family village and the Shen Family village are separated by Changhe River, with Huaxi Village just next to the Shen Family village.

They are not far from each other.

Feng Yun had extensive fields of her own and was also the Village Chief of Huaxi Village, so she naturally felt a chill in her heart.

She wanted to go and take a look, but the sun was already high, and it would be very hot in the village fields, which would be very inconvenient with Yuan Shangyi, so she suppressed her emotions and gave He Chuandong a slight smile.

"Should there be any news, have someone notify Huaxi Village," she said.

He Chuandong clasped his hands, "Yes."

"Would my lady like to take a look?" Yuan Shangyi turned his head, a trace of light in his eyes.

Feng Yun noticed his ulterior motive.

Because she wanted to go, he was willing to follow her.

"Does Ayuan also want to go?"

Yuan Shangyi nodded his head.

Feng Yun said, "But it’s too hot, don’t you mind the sun, Ayuan?"

Seeing the Young Emperor’s pale face filled He Chuandong with dread, and he said, "The Princess is right, the heat is severe outside, and His Majesty has not fully recovered. It would be better not to go out."

This kind of talk was just like that of those people in the palace.

Yuan Shangyi’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and he looked at Feng Yun.

"I want to go."

He Chuandong was anxious and wanted to prevent it, but he saw Feng Yun smiling and nodding.

"All right, after we have lunch, we will go together."

-

In the afternoon, Feng Yun and He Qia met at the city gate.

He Qia, just like his son, had his eyebrows jumping in fear due to Feng Yun taking the Young Emperor with her, but he calmed down much faster than He Chuandong did after making a bow.

The Emperor rode in an ox-cart, and of course, he as a Governor could not ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

He Qia signaled to his entourage to drive the horse carriage back and then joined Feng Yun in her ox-cart with his son.

He Qia briefly reported on the situation as told by the Village Chief and could not help but sigh.

"Misfortunes never come singly. We’ve barely gotten over the snow disaster, and now there are locusts."

It was like adding insult to injury. In front of the Emperor, He Qia was so worried that he was incessantly slapping his forehead, forgetting all about etiquette.

"Such a heavy snow, and it didn’t freeze the insect eggs to death?"

After thinking for a moment, Feng Yun said, "Locust eggs are laid an inch below the surface of the ground. The snow cover is favorable for the locusts to overwinter. Once the snow melts, the soil’s water content increases, which further facilitates the hatching of the locusts..."

She spoke at length.

He Qia was full of admiration.

"The Princess knows so much about the affairs of peasant households."

Feng Yun smiled slightly, "It’s all from books. Armchair strategies are nothing special..."

He Qia, his hair almost turned white with worry, met someone who could offer "armchair strategies," and like a drowning man grasping at a floating log, he clung to her and would not let go.

"Does the Princess know of any good methods to deal with the insects?"

Feng Yun said, "We’ll see when we get to the Liu Family village."

He Qia naturally smiled and agreed.

The two of them conversed while Yuan Shangyi did not interject, just like a well-behaved child from an ordinary family, quietly listening.

Although he didn’t understand much, he greatly admired the Princess’s seeming omnipotence...

During his time in the palace, the constant anxiety and fear of the Empress Dowager year after year imparted negative emotions on the young Yuan Shangyi, shaping his character as it is now.

Therefore, the composed and tranquil Feng Yun gave him a great sense of security.

Yuan Shangyi secretly held Feng Yun’s hand...

Feng Yun looked down, handed him the water bladder.

Watching him drink with his eyelashes trembling, that sense of debt to Queque once again surged in her heart...

With her as an incompetent mother, was Queque just like Yuan Shangyi, living in constant fear and anxiety, without any peace?

If she could have properly protected her child, how could such a fate have befallen...

It was beyond repair now.

Those regrets became a tearing scar, continually spreading in her heart. Feng Yun’s eyes grew deeper, clearly sorrowful.

Yuan Shangyi sensed something, raised his head to look at her, and suddenly reached out to smooth Feng Yun’s brows.

"Don’t frown, my lady. See, I’m drinking obediently," he said.

Feng Yun came back to her senses and smiled.

"I was frowning because of the locusts, it has nothing to do with Ayuan."

Yuan Shangyi made an "Oh" sound, then suddenly stared straight at the carriage shaft.

"My lady, look..."

Feng Yun turned her head, and before she could speak, He Qia had already raised his voice.

"Locusts..." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Yuan Shangyi asked, "Are these grasshoppers?"

In the past, when he stayed at Baima Temple, he had also seen grasshoppers in the courtyard. He wasn’t very afraid of them, even somewhat curious. The insects the Governor spoke of, those that could cause "not a blade of grass to remain" overnight, were they just grasshoppers?

Seeing the child’s curiosity, Feng Yun extended her hand, caught the locust with a handkerchief, and while He Qia looked on in astonishment, she pointed out, "Grasshoppers are locusts, but not all locusts are grasshoppers. The grasshoppers we commonly refer to feed on plants, do not like to migrate, prefer not to swarm, and cause minor damage to crops. Locusts belong to the same family but are a different species. Look, they have larger bodies, round heads, big mouths, can migrate over long distances, and once they appear, they swarm and cause large-scale damage to crops, and also have a varied diet..."