TGCFNM -Chapter 89 My Lord, You Truly Are Brilliant

After handing the magpies over to the local villagers to raise separately for the time being, Chu Ling led her group out of the Sun residence.

Su He needed to take the bones back for poison testing, so he left first.

Xiao Hua helped him carry the remains and went along as well.

Zhang Dong drove the carriage, taking Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin toward the Feng residence. The previous night, they had hastily arranged for the villagers to stay there temporarily. Now they didn’t know how those people were faring—and the locust problem had to be dealt with first.

Chu Ling lifted her head and glanced at the male ghost seated opposite her. At the moment, Ghost Scholar was questioning him, but no matter what was asked, the male ghost only wore a blank expression, not answering a single word.

Wan Sanjin rubbed his arms and looked at Chu Ling. “My lord, what exactly happened with the Su family?”

Chu Ling let out a soft sigh. “I heard from the local villagers that bandits suddenly rushed into the Su residence and slaughtered everyone—left not a single survivor. Only Su He, who had gone out to play, escaped the disaster.”

“Really bandits? Were they caught?” Wan Sanjin immediately asked.

Chu Ling shook her head. “They were never caught… And not a single coin of the Su family’s wealth was missing.”

Wan Sanjin let out an exasperated laugh. “What kind of bandits don’t want money?”

Chu Ling shook her head again. Today was the first time she had heard Su He speak about what happened back then… The killer was a physician—but what kind of physician?

Almost unconsciously, Chu Ling looked toward Bai Su.

Bai Su nodded. “Su He isn’t wrong. It should have been a physician; otherwise the killings wouldn’t have been so precise. But in my memory, I truly don’t know of such a person.”

Wan Sanjin licked his lips and finally asked what he had been hesitating over. “The Su family… what kind of business were they in?”

Chu Ling shook her head. “I don’t know. I never asked. The local villagers said they were just ordinary merchants.”

“My lord, ordinary merchants wouldn’t encounter something like this in a lifetime. Not even my Wan family, and we’ve done business for generations,” Wan Sanjin said.

“We’d better not ask,” Chu Ling replied. “Unless he’s willing to tell us himself.”

Wan Sanjin nodded. He understood.

“Whoa—”

Zhang Dong pulled the carriage to a stop. After setting down the step stool, he went to knock on the gates of the Feng residence.

Just as Chu Ling stepped down from the carriage, the gates opened. The villagers had already gathered there, coming out to greet her. Nervous, uneasy smiles lingered on their faces.

“Let’s talk inside,” Chu Ling said, taking the lead into the Feng residence.

Once inside, she suddenly stopped.

All the villagers seemed to have gathered in the front courtyard. Their cheeks were hollow, their skin sallow. They looked at Chu Ling with gentle goodwill in their eyes. Yet not a single one dared step forward. They had no water to wash up; their faces and arms were covered in dust. Feeling self-conscious, they even stepped back a little apologetically.

There wasn’t a trace of resentment among them. They huddled close together, as if that alone gave them strength. But no one dared shout in anger:

Why?

Why were they considered inferior? Why did they have to endure so much suffering? Why were they only allowed to buy old rice mixed with sand and gravel?

Chu Ling felt her chest tighten. For a moment, she didn’t know how to speak. Her nose stung faintly, and she almost wanted to turn her face away.

“My lord! My lord!” Wu Xiaoxiu called out as she helped Old Man Wu walk over. They had arrived early that morning, bringing steamed buns and rice. Everyone had eaten their fill and regained some strength.

“This is Master Wan,” Old Man Wu said, pulling Wan Sanjin forward in introduction. “It was Master Wan who gave the silver to buy the food.”

The surrounding villagers immediately smiled at Wan Sanjin, bowing clumsily and speaking over one another.

“Thank you, Master Wan!”

“Master Wan, you’re a good man.”

“Master Wan, good deeds will be repaid.”

“Master Wan, when I go to the Bodhisattva temple in the future, I’ll definitely pray for blessings for you.”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes grew a little red as well. The silver he had spent so casually was enough to let so many people eat their fill. Such a simple thing—so why was it that Changzhou couldn’t manage it?

Chu Ling let out a light breath and found an open patch of ground.

Zhang Dong brought over a chair for her to sit on.

Looking at Wu Xiaoxiu, Chu Ling said, “Xiaoxiu, find a few people who still have some strength left and go tie up Wang Mazi for me. I have questions for him. If you can’t find him, go to the city gate and ask Lord Mei for help.”

Wu Xiaoxiu immediately responded, “Yes, my lord.”

Chu Ling swept her gaze over the crowd. “Which of you are village heads?”

Five or six people stepped out from the crowd and walked toward her.

“Besides you, which villages did the earlier arrivals come from?” Chu Ling asked.

“My lord, the first was Xiashui Village. They couldn’t survive anymore. With no other choice, the village head gathered everyone’s money together before they could enter the city. After that, more and more people fled here to escape with their lives.”

“Alright. Find some people and gather those from the other villages as well. I have a way to drive away the insects. When the time comes, I’ll personally lead you to eliminate them,” Chu Ling said, then reassured them, “They’re just edible insects, not some divine bugs. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Eat… eat insects?”

“Divine insects can be eaten?”

Chu Ling slapped her thigh. “You don’t know how delicious they are when fried or roasted! Advisor Wan has eaten them since he was little.”

Wan Sanjin blinked. “Huh?”

“Look at Advisor Wan—fair and sturdy, tall too. That’s because he loves eating these insects,” Chu Ling said seriously.

The crowd couldn’t help but look at Wan Sanjin with newfound admiration.

So these insects could actually be eaten—and they could even make people grow taller?

Seeing that their resistance and fear had faded, Chu Ling felt somewhat relieved. Recalling things she had once read, she briefly outlined several methods:

“Besides swallows and magpies eating the insects, you can dig deep pits along the field ridges late at night and set up torches.”

“These insects are drawn to light. At night, when they can’t see clearly, they’ll fly straight toward the flames—just like moths to a fire. That way, you can eliminate some of them. During the day, you can also use smoke fumigation and manual catching to reduce their numbers… There are too many of them to clear out in just a day or two. But as long as the people of Changzhou work together, we’ll definitely solve this problem. Don’t be afraid!”

“My lord, we’re not afraid!”

“That’s right, we’re not afraid!”

“Mm.” Chu Ling nodded in satisfaction. “Once everyone’s rested, I’ll take you to the Sun family. The Sun family is kind-hearted and has donated all their grain. Everyone will get a share to take home. Once we’re full, we’ll work hard!”

“Work hard!”

“My lord, we won’t let you down!”

Smiling, Chu Ling stood up. “Now, village heads, line up one by one and tell me your specific losses—how many people are in your village, how much labor force you have… Then several villages can help one another, and we’ll clear the insects as soon as possible.”

“Alright!”

“Alright!”

Satisfied, Chu Ling glanced around before turning to Wan Sanjin and lowering her voice. “Advisor Wan, go find your good friend. Isn’t he teaching at Cangzhu Academy? So many students—no reason not to make use of them. They’ll all become magistrates in the future anyway. Learning how to control insect infestations in advance will only benefit them.”

Wan Sanjin: “…My lord, it’s one thing that you’ve sold me out, but now you want to sell Qingyu too? You really were struck stupid by lightning.”

“The Sun family is certain we wouldn’t dare touch their estate, so they ran,” Chu Ling sneered. “But I intend to do exactly that. Have your friend write another notice, saying that the Sun family is donating funds to hire people to catch insects. One hundred insects for ten wen.”

“My lord, have you gone mad? You’re going to confiscate the Sun family’s property?” Wan Sanjin’s eyes nearly popped out.

Chu Ling piled on a bright, fake smile. “If the Sun family insists on donating funds, how could I possibly stop them? Besides, Prince Rui is already aware of this matter.”

Wan Sanjin copied Chu Ling’s gesture and gave her a thumbs-up. “My lord, you’re brilliant—truly brilliant!”