The new dish at Yutangchun is called "Stepping into Spring," and it comes in several different flavors, which sound wonderful, but when people find out it’s made of locusts, many politely decline, finding it too difficult to stomach.

But those who have tried it all say it’s fragrant, crispy, tender, and uniquely flavored, which tempts others to give it a go.

Wen Hui looked at the sales and heard that Feng Yun was still collecting locusts in large quantities, which worried her.

"My lady, if we collect so many and can’t sell them, how will we deal with them?"

Feng Yun said, "Dry and preserve them for future use."

Wen Hui was puzzled.

She said, "When there’s food, people can afford to be picky, but when there’s none, they won’t turn it away."

Plus, the dried locusts are really crispy and fragrant, similar to fried river shrimp and small fish...

Seeing that her lady had her own plans, Wen Hui did not ask further and continued to display the dish in the main hall as usual.

Changmen kept collecting locusts.

The purchase price was very low, but at this time of the year, the countryside had many idle hands, and when there were reports of locusts, everyone would rush over to catch them.

There were so many people converging on a piece of farmland that there were more people than locusts...

With ducks and people, bonfires and herding, the locust plague gradually subsided.

He Qia did the calculations, the damage was still significant, but it was much less than what he had initially anticipated.

By the end of July, Changmen stopped collecting locusts.

The harvest season was approaching, Changmen was also preparing for a wedding, and it was very busy.

In Mingquan Town, the sugar cane was harvested in July, and they were also preparing for the autumn sowing.

Everything seemed unaffected...

But the consecutive droughts, with no rain at all, were causing village wells and the water level of Changhe to drop increasingly lower, and the price of grain in the market was getting more and more expensive.

People began to sense the tension in the air.

Gradually, the food crisis grew more and more severe...

There were incidents of people scrambling for grain in the stores, and the price changed daily, with rumors spreading far and wide.

Feng Yun had started advising the villagers to stockpile grain since last year.

But there weren’t many people who really followed her advice and had the extra money to stockpile grain.

Fortunately, there was some harvest this season, some farmers affected by the locusts could still buy some from the village, and those who went to Changmen could also purchase at market price. This allowed for some stability, resulting in less desperation compared to other villages...

-

On the fifth day, Feng Yun got up before dawn, and the scent of harvesting grain from the village wafted over. She took a deep breath, washed up, and went to Yangxin Restaurant to meet Yuan Shangyi, before heading out to the street together.

She was going to make purchases for Wen Hui’s wedding.

This was Changmen’s first wedding celebration, and Feng Yun took it very seriously.

But Wen Hui, who was about to become a bride, worried about delaying her employer’s business and took matters into her own hands, refusing to delegate anything.

In these days, Feng Yun assigned two other concubines—Tu Lan and Gu Zhu—to help at Yutangchun so someone could fill in during the days of Wen Hui’s marriage...

This was Yuan Shangyi’s second visit to Andu City for bridal shopping, and his eyes were filled with joy.

The market was bustling.

Unlike the countryside busy with the autumn harvest, people gathered in the city’s tea houses and pubs discussing Andu’s imminent elevation to an auxiliary capital of Dajin.

Feng Yun had received the news earlier, which was revealed by Pei Jue. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But the news had only reached the public in the last few days.

The neighborhood immediately boiled over with excitement.

From Nanqi to Jin, then to the auxiliary capital of Jin Country, Andu had undergone too great a change in just two short years.

Naturally, the citizens were ecstatic.

Everyone was guessing the Imperial Court’s intentions, putting together theories that sounded quite plausible.

Their discussions were elaborate, as if they had witnessed the decisions made in the Taiji Hall themselves.

"Establishing an auxiliary capital in Andu, firstly, is because of the dragon’s aura nourishment—the Young Emperor’s long-term ailment improved shortly after staying in Andu for treatment. Don’t you think Andu is a blessed place?"

"Yes!"

"That’s just one reason. Secondly, establishing an auxiliary capital here allows us to keep Nanqi in check, and also to gradually annex Yecheng. With the advantage of time and place, we can plan at leisure."

People of Andu called Yecheng the illegitimate court.

In their view, it was their own side that truly upheld the legitimate succession, and the Emperor of Xifeng, whom Li Zongxun had installed, wasn’t a genuine Emperor and couldn’t be taken seriously.

"Andu is precisely situated at a very strategic location. Not to mention the feasibility of advance and retreat, but most importantly, Andu falls under Xinzhou with well-developed waterways, making it extremely convenient to transport troops and supplies. The Prince of Yonghuai has foresight, having already anticipated the situation fully. Right now, Li Zongxun must be feeling the heat under his seat, becoming restless..."

"Hahaha."

"So you’re saying, with the establishment of the auxiliary capital, we’re going to attack Yecheng?"

"When to attack depends on the Prince of Yonghuai’s mood... If you ask me, after just fighting a battle with the Northern Rong, the current state of the people is weak, there isn’t an abundance of grains, and we’re facing this year’s locust plague. It’s likely to be delayed a few more years."