Chapter 819: Taking Eunuch Zhang to Catch Locusts

The rain fell all night.

When Ning Chen got up the next day, there was still light rain in the sky.

Although the sky was now overcast, the dark clouds in Ning Chen's heart had completely dissipated.

With this rain, the crops would survive.

Ning Chen rode his horse to the outside of the city, and the duck army had already started working.

When it was dawn, Yuan Long released the duck army.

The duck army, which had been hungry all night, rushed in and feasted.

A duck can eat about 200 locusts a day. With an army of 20,000 ducks, the locusts can be destroyed in a few days.

I don't know who spread the news that locusts can be eaten.

In the next few days, the people formed groups to catch locusts outside the city.

Those who have the conditions fried them, and those who don't have the conditions put them in a pan and stir-fried them dry.

They were silent after eating!

No wonder even the prince said it was good after eating it, it was indeed delicious.

Ning Chen did not stop the people from catching locusts, but sent people to check at the city gate to make sure that the people caught green locusts.

If they ate poisonous locusts, it would be troublesome.

The locusts themselves probably didn't expect that they were so popular despite their evil deeds. Not only ducks like them, but people like them too.

In just a few days, the locust plague was well controlled.

Ning Chen's hanging heart was finally put down.

Xuanwu City has completely got on the right track.

On this day, Ning Chen was practicing sword in the yard.

As the saying goes, practice sword for a hundred days, practice gun for a thousand days, and practice sword for ten thousand days.

Although Ning Chen is no longer abstinent now, it has become a habit for him to practice sword every day during abstinence.

Abstinence does have benefits. The energy in his body has become much stronger.

Gu Yichun came and stood by and watched Ning Chen practice sword.

After a while, seeing Ning Chen put away his sword, he came over to report: "Your Highness, someone from Daxuan is here!"

"Huh?" Ning Chen was stunned, "Who is it?"

Gu Yichun said: "A eunuch, and an official from the Ministry of Revenue, who seems to be a minister, and dozens of followers, who are obviously soldiers...sent by Emperor De."

Ning Chen was a little confused. What did Emperor De send people to do?

"Where are they?"

"In the hall!"

"Let's go and see!"

Ning Chen came to the hall, where a white-faced, beardless eunuch and a middle-aged man in official robes were drinking tea.

Seeing Ning Chen come in, the two put down their teacups and stood up.

"Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Lu Li, see your Highness!"

Lu Li saluted respectfully.

Ning Chen had seen Lu Li in the court, but they were not very familiar with each other.

The white-faced, beardless eunuch did not salute, but picked up the imperial edict on the table and said sharply: "Ning Chen, accept the edict!"

Lu Li glanced sideways and frowned slightly.

Before coming, he repeatedly reminded Ning Chen to be respectful when meeting him, but this idiot didn't listen to a word.

Ning Chen walked straight past him, sat down in the first seat, and said lightly: "Read it!"

The eunuch turned and looked at Ning Chen, and said sharply: "Seeing the imperial edict is like seeing His Majesty, how dare you not kneel?"

Ning Chen looked at him with a playful expression.

Seeing this, Lu Li hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, calm down, don't blame me!"

After saying that, he looked at the eunuch, "Eunuch Zhang, read it quickly!"

This idiot is the godson of the great eunuch Zhao Da.

After Liu Kuan died, Zhao Da became the personal eunuch of the new emperor.

This old eunuch recognized many godsons, and this eunuch Zhang was one of them. Relying on Zhao Da's relationship, he was used to being arrogant in the palace.

But this is Xuanwu City, and the person in front of him is the famous Ning Chen.

This idiot with no balls, did he think he was in the Great Xuan Palace?

Even in the Daxuan Palace, no one dared to act presumptuously in front of Ning Chen.

Eunuch Zhang snorted coldly: "Xuanwu City was built with the funds of Daxuan, and Daxuan has half of the jurisdiction. Although he is no longer the King of Zhenguo, he is still a minister of your majesty in charge of Xuanwu City.

The imperial edict is here. If your majesty comes in person, how can you not kneel?"

Lü Li was numb. Did this idiot remove his brain when he cut off his lower body? Normal people can't say such stupid things... That's right, this guy is not healthy, not a normal person.

But if you want to die, don't implicate me. I just climbed to the position of Minister, and I have a bright future. I don't want to die early.

Lü Li complained crazily in his heart.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. The weather is hot and the journey has been bumpy. Eunuch Zhang is not feeling well and his mind is not clear... Your Highness, please be magnanimous and do not be angry!

Eunuch Zhang, please read the imperial edict quickly."

Eunuch Zhang did not realize Lu Li's painstaking efforts at all. He said arrogantly, "Sir Lu, what's wrong with you? We are acting on the orders of His Majesty... How can we be timid in front of a minister?"

After that, he looked at Ning Chen and said in an imperative tone, "Ning Chen, kneel down and receive the order!"

Lü Li was about to cry. He thought to himself, "Your mother, please stop talking. Are you afraid that you want to be castrated again?"

He looked at Ning Chen and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, please calm down. I have always admired you."

Lü Li almost said that what this idiot did had nothing to do with me, and Your Highness must not vent his anger on me.

Ning Chen's mouth slightly raised. This Lu Li is really a wonderful person.

Immediately, his eyes fell on Gu Yichun and pointed at Eunuch Zhang, "Bring me that rag."

Gu Yichun obeyed, "Yes!"

Eunuch Zhang was furious, "Ning Chen, you dare to say that the imperial edict is a rag, you are overstepping your authority, you are disobeying, you are humiliating His Majesty, I must..."

Before he could finish his words, Gu Yichun slapped him in the face and made him swallow the rest of his words.

This slap was not light!

The slap made Eunuch Zhang turn around twice, and half of his face was instantly red and swollen.

"Give it to you!"

Gu Yichun snatched the imperial edict from his hand and respectfully presented it to Ning Chen.

This damn eunuch, he came here to show off, is he mentally ill?

Eunuch Zhang was stunned by the slap, covering his face and standing there blankly.

Lu Li glanced at him and thought he deserved it.

Ning Chen shook open the imperial edict and took a look, and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Gu Yichun, do you know how to read?"

Gu Yichun said embarrassedly: "I don't know much!"

Ning Chen threw the imperial edict to him, "Look, Emperor De told me a joke."

Gu Yichun didn't know many words, but he probably understood it... This imperial edict probably meant that half of the control of Xuanwu City belonged to Daxuan, and asked Ning Chen to hand over the account book, and Daxuan would take half of the profits of Xuanwu City every year in the future.

Ning Chen looked at him, "Do you understand?"

"I understand?"

"Then why don't you laugh? Isn't this joke funny?"

Gu Yichun said hurriedly, "It's funny, too funny, hahaha..."

Ning Chen rolled his eyes, "You'd better stop laughing, it's too fake!"

Gu Yichun's laughter stopped abruptly.

Eunuch Zhang came back to his senses at this time, pointing at Ning Chen and saying, "I, I came here on the orders of His Majesty, how dare you hit me."

Ning Chen pointed at Gu Yichun, "Why are you wrongly accusing me? It was obviously him who hit me."

Eunuch Zhang: "......."

Ning Chen casually threw the imperial edict on the table, "It's not that I don't want to share the money with Daxuan, it's really that Xuanwu City has no profit... Xuanwu City has been plagued by locusts these days, and the pastures outside the city and the crops inside the city have been eaten up.

If you don't believe it, you can go outside the city and see that the people are so hungry that they have started to eat locusts.

Gu Yichun, take Eunuch Zhang to see outside the city. It just so happens that we are short of manpower, so let Eunuch Zhang help catch locusts... A duck can eat two hundred locusts a day, and Eunuch Zhang's mouth is much harder than a duck. It is absolutely no problem to catch a thousand a day."