Chapter 140: Rumors of Heavenly Punishment
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Walking to the side of the pot, Shen Yufeng was stunned. “This thing can be eaten like this?”
Tan Yibin handed the strainer to him and raised his eyebrows. “Want some?”
Shen Yufeng looked suspiciously at the locusts that looked very appetizing. He sniffed and found that they were quite fragrant. “Can they be eaten?”
Tan Yibin chuckled. “I was suspicious at first, but I can’t stop eating now.” He pointed at everyone. “Look at them. They are all eating it. Moreover, the locusts can treat the epidemic. If you don’t want to get sick, eat it.”
Shen Yufeng did not believe it. “Fried locusts can treat the epidemic. Are you kidding me?”
Tan Yibin grabbed two fried locusts and brought them to his mouth. “I’m not interested in kidding you. Besides, in hard times, don’t be such a picky eater. It’s already good enough to have something to eat. It’s better than eating the tree bark, right?”
Shen Yufeng was not being picky. He just found it unbelievable. However, he still chose to believe his comrade. He took one and ate it.
“Wow, it’s delicious!” He fell in love with it in one bite!
Shen Yufeng snatched Tan Yibin’s strainer. “Let me eat. You must have eaten a lot already.”
Tan Yibin was speechless. “You…”
As Shen Yufeng stuffed the locusts into his mouth, he said, “Go and fry some more.”
Tan Yibin waved his hand. “Get lost! I’m going to find the general.”
Shen Yufeng ate the fried locusts and looked at the smile on the refugees’ faces. He thought to himself, Things are finally looking better!
In Xu City.
“Now, not only is there an epidemic, but there’s also a locust plague. The emperor must have done something immoral to anger the heavens and cause us to suffer Heavenly Punishment.”
“I think so too. The current emperor is young and inexperienced. How can he handle state affairs properly?”
“Sigh, now that the Heavenly Punishment has descended, our lives will be difficult in the future!”
Such rumors were discussed not only in Xu City, but also in the surrounding cities and even in the capital. The matter had developed in a more serious direction.
In the imperial study.
A few ministers were discussing the refugee crisis with the emperor.
A minister said, “Your Majesty, the rumors about the Heavenly Punishment are getting more and more out of control. Does Your Majesty have any way to quell the rumors?”
On the throne, a bright yellow figure with a young and handsome face exuded a dignified aura.
He frowned at that, but said nothing.
Another minister said, “Your Majesty, Tang Jinghong is incompetent. Not only did he not handle the refugee crisis well, but he also lost the grains. Now, the rumors are spreading and deluding the people. In my opinion, he should be removed from his position and be called back to the capital to be punished!”
The emperor’s expression was dark. “Cali Tang Jinghong back to be punished? Then who should be sent to handle the refugee crisis? Could it be that you want to make a contribution?”
The minister hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, you flatter me too much. I’m already old, so it’s not convenient for me to travel. However, there are so many young talents in the Imperial Court. You can find a suitable one.”
The Emperor’s face was still dark. “Then in your opinion, who should 1 send?”
The minister answered, “1 think the son of the Minister of Works is very suitable.”
The Minister of Works and the minister in front of the emperor were political enemies. One could imagine his motive for recommending the son of his political enemy.
The emperor narrowed his eyes. “Minister, 1 suddenly remembered that you have a grandson who has just entered the officialdom. Do you want to send him to train?”
The minister said unhurriedly, “Thank you for thinking highly of my grandson, but my grandson is inexperienced and can’t take on a big responsibility.”
The emperor slammed his palm on the table and shouted angrily, “Get out, all of you get out!”
The ministers hurriedly took their leave.
After the ministers left, the emperor threw a memorial in front of him to the ground. “All of them are here to force me!”
Li Fei quickly picked up the memorial. “Your Majesty, the more they force you, the more you have to stay calm and collected. Everything will be fine after this period of time.”
The emperor clenched his fists tightly. That old fox, the Prime Minister, was the most annoying one!
At this moment, a secret guard appeared in the imperial study and knelt on one knee. “Your Majesty, General Tang has sent a secret letter.”
Upon hearing that, the emperor’s brows relaxed a lot.
Li Fei thought to himself, As expected, General Tang is the only one who can calm His Majesty.
The Emperor said, “Bring it up.”
The Emperor took the letter. The more he read, the better his expression became. In the end, he actually smiled. “General Tang really didn’t disappoint me.”
The secret letter included the whereabouts of the grains and the situation of the refugees.
The grains weren’t lost, and the refugee situation had been properly settled. The emperor was naturally happy to hear the good news.
The emperor instructed happily, “Go, bring me some food.” He was so angry that he forgot to eat. Now, his stomach was rumbling.
Li Fei replied crisply, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Tang Jinghong received three letters in a row. One of them was from Yuan Hongjun, and the other two were from the soldiers he had sent out to gather information. The three letters were all about the whereabouts of the refugees.
After reading them one by one, he immediately sent a letter to the deputy general to go and stop the refugees. He could not let the refugees go to the capital, or chaos would erupt.
The Daling Dynasty’s current emperor had only ascended the throne for three years. If chaos erupted in the capital, he would lose his prestige. The Imperial Court that he had just stabilized would immediately be divided up.
At that time, he would become a puppet emperor who was restricted in every way. The young and new ministers he used would definitely be suppressed by those old ministers. It would be difficult for the emperor to make a comeback.
As the emperor’s most trusted aide, Tang Jinghong would also be severely affected and become the main target of those old ministers.
Tang Jinghong’s prestige in the army was already close to that of General Fan. It had to be known that General Fan was an old general of three dynasties. No one would disobey him in the army, and it was starting to be the same for Tang Jinghong now.
With Tang Jinghong’s relationship with General Fan, those old ministers had long wanted to suppress Tang Jinghong, but they couldn’t find anything against him.
Outside Xu City, Tang Jinghong had just sent the letter out when he received three more letters.
These three letters were much more serious. Rumors of Heavenly Punishment in the city were rampant. Almost everyone was talking about it and he was asked to find a way to solve it.
Tang Jinghong rubbed his eyebrows. Problems were coming up one after another.
Chu Qingzhi opened the tent and waved at Tang Jinghong. “Jinghong, come in.”
When Tang Jinghong saw Chu Qingzhi, he felt slightly happier. He nodded and walked towards Chu Qingzhi.. “Qingzhi, what’s wrong?”
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