From cute to empress

Chapter 250: Searching for the Natural Enemy of the Red-eyed Garuda

"Your Majesty, I've seen this kind of insect before in an ancient book..." The doctor of agronomy paused, as if weighing his words. "It's called the 'Taotie Locust.' It has a strong reproductive capacity and is resistant to common pesticides. If it breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Then... what should we do?" My heart sank instantly. The people have worked hard on the farm for months, are they just going to watch their hopes dashed?

"Your Majesty, don't panic," the doctor of agriculture said hastily, noticing my pale face. "Ancient texts record that although the gluttonous locust is ferocious, it has a natural enemy, the red-eyed garuda. This bird feeds on the gluttonous locust. By luring it away, the infestation can be controlled."

"Red-eyed Garuda? Where do they live? How to lure them here?" I asked anxiously, as if I had grasped a life-saving straw.

"According to ancient records, red-eyed garudas prefer to inhabit dense forests in high mountains and are very sensitive to the scent of a flower called 'fragrant cloud grass,'" the agronomy doctor explained. "We can send people to the mountains to collect fragrant cloud grass and plant it in the fields to attract red-eyed garudas to prey on the gluttonous locusts."

"Let's do this without delay!" I ordered decisively, "Zhen Youcai, take your men to the mountains immediately and make sure to find the Xiangyun grass!"

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left. His determined eyes gave me great confidence.

I took a deep breath, turned to look at Mr. Tian and the other people, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, I know everyone is worried, but please believe me, we will definitely defeat this insect plague!"

Seeing my resolve, the people's initial fears gradually subsided. I organized young men to capture the gluttonous locusts in the fields and instructed them to strengthen field management, remove weeds, and reduce the breeding ground for pests.

Farmer C, catching gluttonous locusts with a net, said to me, "Your Majesty, you are truly a good emperor! Since you ascended the throne, the lives of us ordinary people have become better and better."

I smiled, said nothing, and only threw myself even more firmly into the fight against pests. To protect the people's hope, I am willing to make every effort!

As time passed, and Zhen Youcai still hadn't returned, I grew increasingly anxious. Had he found the fragrant cloud grass? Would the red-eyed garuda really arrive as expected?

That night, I tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. Suddenly, an envelope on the desk caught my attention... It was a letter sent by Zhen Youcai from the border!

I quickly opened the envelope. The familiar handwriting on the letter caught my eye, and a warm feeling welled up in my heart. In addition to reporting on the recent situation on the frontier, Zhen Youcai's letter also detailed a local recipe for "locust-repelling powder," a mixture of various herbs said to be incredibly effective in repelling locusts.

"Locust repellent powder? Why didn't I think of that?" I slapped my forehead. There were no pesticides in ancient times, but herbs were a resource! I immediately called in a doctor of agronomy and several experienced farmers to discuss the formula and preparation method for locust repellent powder.

"Your Majesty, we have all the herbs mentioned in General Zhen's letter. However..." The doctor of agronomy looked troubled. "The formula of this locust repellent powder is very complicated. The proportion of each herb and the fineness of grinding are very particular. If you are not careful, it will affect the effectiveness."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is not a joke. If it is not done well, not only will the herbs be wasted, but the important task of insect prevention will also be delayed!" Old Man Tian also echoed.

At this moment, Rich Merchant A stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to contribute! I have traveled extensively over the years and have met many talented individuals who are proficient in herbal formulas. I will send someone to invite them and make sure to develop the most effective locust-repelling powder!"

I nodded with satisfaction. "Okay! I'll have to trouble you, Fujia! Just ask for whatever you need. The court will fully support you!"

Rich Merchant A was indeed very efficient and resolute. Within three days, he had invited several experienced pharmacists from other places. Under their guidance, we finally successfully developed the first batch of locust repellent powder.

I personally distributed the locust repellent powder to the people and explained in detail how to use it. The people took the heavy cloth bags with hope in their eyes.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, we will definitely kill all these pests!" Farmer Woman C said confidently, waving the cloth bag in her hand.

I looked at the determined faces before me, and my heart was filled with strength. I knew we would win this battle against pests! Just then, County Magistrate B hurried over, a hint of hesitation on his face...

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Something bad has happened!" The shout of County Magistrate B interrupted my thoughts. He jogged all the way, with beads of sweat on his forehead. Without even taking a breath, he said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, the neighboring county, the neighboring county has also suffered an insect plague, and..." He paused, as if he had something to hide.

"And what? Say it!" I said sternly, with a bad feeling in my heart.

"And, and they believed the rumors, saying, that the insect plague was because, because..." County Magistrate B hesitated and was still afraid to tell the absurd reason.

"Because of what?" I emphasized.

"Because, because Your Majesty is a woman, and a woman being the emperor will cause an imbalance of yin and yang, so..." County Magistrate B's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally almost inaudible.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in my heart, and said coldly, "So the insect plague came, right?"

County Magistrate B was so frightened that he fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your humble servant deserves death, your humble servant deserves death! But, but now the people in the neighboring counties have been deceived by this rumor and are unwilling to take any measures, allowing the insect plague to spread. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and when I opened them again, my vision was clear. I knew now wasn't the time to assign blame; the priority was to resolve the insect infestation and reassure the people.

"Pass the order down! Mobilize all manpower and resources in the county to fully support the neighboring counties in their disaster relief efforts!" I ordered decisively. "Also, send someone to notify the agronomy doctor and several pharmacists. Have them bring the formula and preparation method for locust repellent powder and go to the neighboring counties to provide guidance!"

"Yes! I obey your order!" County Magistrate B felt as if he had been pardoned. He quickly stood up and took the order and left.

For the next few days, I spent almost every day in front of the map, monitoring the disaster situation in neighboring counties. Thankfully, thanks to the combined efforts of me and the people, the insect infestation was finally under control. The fields were once again green, and the crops, which had been completely devoured, were gradually recovering.

I stood on the ridge of the field, looking at the vibrant green before me, my heart filled with hope. I knew that we had triumphed over this disaster!

"Your Majesty, look!" Peasant Woman C pointed to the sky in the distance and shouted excitedly.

I looked up, only to see a dark cloud drifting across the clear sky. No, that's not right! It wasn't a dark cloud, it was... I looked up, only to see a dark cloud drifting across the clear sky. No, that's not right! It was a dense, sky-blocking swarm of locusts! They surged in like a black tide, bringing with them a suffocating, oppressive feeling.

"Locusts, locusts! Why are there still some?!" Farmer C's voice trembled, her face full of fear.

Tian Laonong's expression also turned extremely ugly. He muttered to himself: "How, how is this possible? It's clearly already..."

My heart sank. This sudden locust plague was even worse than the previous one! Before I could recover from my joy, we were forced to face this cruel test again.

"Everyone, don't panic!" I shouted, trying to calm myself. "Now is not the time to be afraid. We have already defeated the locust plague once, and we will definitely defeat it again!"

"But, but this time there are more locusts than last time, we..." County Magistrate B's voice was filled with a hint of despair.

I know his worries are not unreasonable, but especially at times like this, we should not give up hope.

"Pass the order down. Organize personnel immediately and prepare to drive the locusts away again!" I made a quick decision. "Also, send someone to notify General Zhen and have him…"

Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by a deafening thunder. Then, without any warning, raindrops as big as beans fell from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a downpour.

"Oh no! It's raining!" exclaimed the old farmer. "The rain will wash away the locust repellent powder. What should we do?"

As I watched the sudden downpour unfold before my eyes, a sense of powerlessness rose within me. Was the locust plague, which I had finally brought under control, truly about to be undone by the sudden downpour?

At this moment, I felt a warm hand holding mine. I turned around and saw it was Zhen Youcai. He had come all night long, and his whole body was soaked by the rain, but his eyes were firm, as if all the difficulties were not worth mentioning in front of him.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He whispered, his tone gentle but full of power.

I looked at him, and a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Yes, with him and everyone else, we can definitely get through this!

"Mr. Tian, ​​where is the higher ground nearby?" I asked. The most urgent task now is to prevent rainwater from accumulating and flooding the fields.

Mr. Tian was stunned for a moment, then he immediately reacted and pointed to a high ground not far away and said: "Over there, the terrain is higher..."