Chapter 85

Once everyone had departed, the Changle Marquis still carried a face full of smiles, happily humming a little tune. Seeing that group of people suffer a setback was truly vindicating.

“Daughter, the idea you came up with was fantastic, haha! I reckon they won’t dare come to freeload off meals ever again in the future.”

Cheng Ruyi rolled her eyes, dampening her father’s spirits slightly: “Father, have you forgotten that a military general mentioned before leaving that he would return to eat us out of house and home when the babies reach their hundredth day?”

That particular person was someone who lived for eating meat. More than half of the meat dishes at his table had ended up inside his stomach. He was almost a match for her, though that tall and heavily built military general didn’t possess any superpowers, so he still ate significantly less than she did. Cheng Ruyi found this person rather interesting.

Having his joy deflated by his daughter’s words, the Changle Marquis’s cheer vanished, and he spoke huffily: “That guy is a colleague of Commander Wang, a fellow who can’t rejoice without meat. It’s said he endured too much hardship during his childhood, so he dislikes eating vegetables and only loves meat. Almost his entire salary is spent on eating meat.”

“Father, haven’t you said before that being able to eat is a blessing? However, after today, Father, you are going to become famous once again.” Cheng Ruyi teased with a beaming smile.

The Changle Marquis waved his hand with complete indifference: “Famous is fine. Your father is already a celebrity in the capital.” Regarding this point, the Changle Marquis felt rather smug.

Cheng Ruyi nodded in agreement: “…Father is right. Becoming more famous is merely adding flowers onto brocade.” After speaking, she caught sight of her younger brother Cheng Yu lying on a nearby chair and groaning, so she casually handed him a porcelain bottle of digestive pills. “Here, take a digestive pill.”

“Thank you, Elder Sister!” Cheng Yu’s eyes crinkled. He happily took the porcelain bottle, poured out a pill, and swallowed it. Before long, he became completely full of life again, picking up the grapes on the side to start eating.

Adding flowers onto brocade isn’t used that way… The corners of Rong Mo’s eyes twitched. The things his little wife said sometimes truly left one caught between tears and laughter. He caught sight of Luo Fei’s subtle expression and felt secretly amused.

This time, the reputation of the triplets’ full-month banquet was mixed with both praise and criticism. With the Emperor’s personal attendance and bestowal of names, the triplets’ favored status was unshakable. However, the Changle Marquis’s exceptionally stingy display was simply a mudslide upon the full-month banquet. Every single minister or family member who attended the banquet harbored zero good feelings toward the Changle Marquis, especially regarding those basins of greasy, aromatic meat dishes. The impression was so deeply engraved that they felt like vomiting just recalling it. To pale at the mere mention of meat—that perfectly described them now. It was clear to see just how much hatred the Changle Marquis had attracted.

Cheng Ruyi had no idea that while she was the one who came up with the idea, her father was the one taking the blame. Rong Mo knew, of course, but doting on his wife as he did, he naturally wouldn’t say anything. Thus, Cheng Ruyi remained unaware that her father had fiercely drawn another massive wave of hatred on her behalf.

She was currently discussing the so-called prophetic dream with Rong Mo.

“Ah Mo, Dahu County possesses an abundant water supply and has planted a vast amount of grain. I recall seeing a locust plague in the dream. Have someone notify King Pingnan so he can make early preparations.”

Rong Mo was startled, the teacup in his hand trembling slightly: “A locust plague?”

Cheng Ruyi nodded: “Yes, a locust plague. I don’t know if my cousin with the power of foresight will speak of it. I only recalled this matter just now when I heard an old nanny in the mansion mention that a locust plague once occurred in her hometown.”

Speaking of this, Cheng Ruyi felt a bit guilty. There was no helping it; she had never cared much about the plot line. Having experienced the apocalypse, whether it was a drought, a flood, or a locust plague, they were all minor disasters to her, on the same level as minor illnesses and minor pains. It was just that the ancients were relatively fragile, and a tiny disaster could claim lives.

As for whether it had ever ravaged the capital, Cheng Ruyi didn’t know, because the locust plague plot in the book revolved entirely around Dahu County. Well, the Changle Marquis Mansion is filled with the fragrance of fruits everywhere; the probability of attracting the locust plague is extremely high…

Cheng Ruyi, whose spiritual energy was growing increasingly formidable, harbored no fear. If a locust plague struck, she prepared to catch them all in one fell swoop. It was said that people bitten by locusts would fall ill. She would simply consider it ridding the people of an evil. Cheng Ruyi thought with high spirits in her heart.

With a solemn expression, Rong Mo nodded and pressed a kiss onto his little wife’s forehead. He immediately arose to arrange for someone to notify King Pingnan, hoping it would still be in time.

After Rong Mo departed, Cheng Ruyi called Moxiang to bring the triplets over.

The triplets’ performance today had been exceptionally good; they hadn’t cried or made a fuss the entire day. Aside from initially opening their dark, round eyes to look at people—and incidentally urinating on the Emperor—they had spent almost the rest of the time sleeping, to the point where they couldn’t even be woken by noise.

Cheng Ruyi was entirely clear on the inside story behind this. It was because she couldn’t resist channeling her superpower into the triplets, and then… the triplets fell asleep. A beautiful misunderstanding was thus forged.

The female guests who came to attend the full-month banquet were immensely fond of the well-behaved, easy-to-manage triplets, and even the Emperor couldn’t tear himself away after seeing them. Before returning to the palace, he had cradled the triplets with deep reluctance, entirely forgetting that he had previously been peed upon, drawing envious and jealous gazes from several princess-consorts.

Moxiang carried the triplets before Cheng Ruyi. Looking at the triplets who were sleeping soundly with their tiny bellies rising and falling—fair, tender, and incredibly adorable—Cheng Ruyi’s heart couldn’t help but soften. These were born from her. The moment she thought of this, she felt immensely proud in her heart.

“Moxiang, go pluck a few clusters of grapes and bring them over. I want to squeeze grape juice for the babies to drink.”

Moxiang’s lips twitched: “Miss, Imperial Physician Chen stated that the young masters have only just reached their full month and cannot drink random things.”

Cheng Ruyi educated this maidservant Moxiang with earnest words: “Moxiang, in the future, you can only listen to a portion of Imperial Physician Chen’s words. My babies are not ordinary people; if I say they can drink it, they can drink it. The grapes in our mansion are not ordinary.”

Moxiang: “…” My heart is so tired! Her lady was going to create a fuss again. Those poor young masters—whose young masters drank fruit juice right after reaching their full month? She couldn’t make the decision on this matter; she had to mention it to Madam.

Watching Moxiang’s departing figure, Cheng Ruyi was completely speechless. Without a doubt, Moxiang was definitely going to find her mother, Rong Susu. Having been nourished by her superpower for a month, her babies’ physical health was robust; it was merely drinking a bit of grape juice. It was a trivial matter. Mother shouldn’t scold me, Cheng Ruyi thought confidently.

Rong Susu was indeed exactly as Cheng Ruyi imagined. The grapes in the mansion grew batch after batch, in immense quantities. Aside from a portion sent to the Emperor and Master Gongsun Yi, the rest were plucked and placed inside the ice cellar. Some were sold, while some were eaten by themselves or squeezed into grape juice. In such sweltering weather, drinking iced grape juice every day was pure enjoyment. All in all, this life was being lived even better than before.

Rong Susu held no objections to her daughter wanting to squeeze grape juice for the little grandchildren; her daughter knew the proper limits in her actions. Even the imperial physicians were full of praise for the grapes in the mansion, and the grape juice was exceptionally delicious. The breast milk expressed by several wet nurses in the mansion wasn’t even enough for the triplets to drink; the triplets’ appetites were quite a match for their mother’s. Grape juice was also liquid, and her daughter had stated that the triplets inherited her special ability and possessed excellent constitutions.

Upon receiving Madam’s reply, Moxiang was completely dazed. She returned to the courtyard in a trance, carrying a basket filled with clusters of grapes. “Miss, the grapes have been plucked.”

Cheng Ruyi glanced at Moxiang, secretly shaking her head. Moxiang’s mindset was simply too weak. It was merely giving the babies a bit of grape juice to drink, not giving them solid food. When she traveled around the world in the future, she wouldn’t bring Moxiang along, lest she constantly gasp in alarm over everything.

When Rong Mo returned after finishing his tasks, he saw his little wife happily feeding the children grape juice one mouthful at a time. The purplish-red grape juice smelled incredibly sweet, and the triplets favored it immensely, eagerly taking one mouthful after another. Moxiang and Nanny Yang stood on the side looking speechlessly, helping to pour the grape juice from time to time.

“Grape juice?” Rong Mo raised his eyebrows, deftly scooping up Eldest Baby. Holding him with one hand, he used the other hand to feed him grape juice. His movements flowed smoothly like water, as though he had done it countless times before.

“Yes, I thought about how the babies have to drink tasteless milk every day, which is too pitiful. Since there happens to be grape juice in the mansion, I decided to improve their meals. The babies are quite happy.” Cheng Ruyi gave herself a thumbs-up for her own brilliance.

“Excellent idea!” Rong Mo praised with a smile, feeding Eldest Baby another mouthful of grape juice. Eldest Baby, who had just reached his full month, drank very fiercely.

Nanny Yang and Moxiang: “…” No matter what the Miss says, the young master always thinks it’s good.

“Ruyi, do you still remember the family of the former Marquis of Chongyang who was stripped of status and banished to the bitter cold regions? I just received some news from King Pingnan; a vast majority of them did not survive this drought.” Rong Mo chatted with his little wife while feeding Eldest Baby.

“Having been pampered and spoiled for so long, it’s not surprising they couldn’t endure it.” Cheng Ruyi had never cared about irrelevant people. She spoke casually, setting down Second Baby and picking up Third Baby to continue feeding her grape juice. Third Baby was a baby girl, and her appetite was exactly the same as her two older brothers’. They were all gluttons.

Rong Mo smiled. His little wife was different from him; he was a vengeful person, and learning of the ultimate end of the banished Chongyang Marquis’s family gave him a sensation of a great grievance being avenged. Some people could be forgiven, while others were unforgivable. For instance, regarding the triplets’ full-month banquet, Prince Rong, the Changle Marquis, and Rong Mo had unanimously ‘forgotten’ the relative Old Master Lin; an invitation hadn’t been sent to the Lin family at all.

“Ruyi, once the babies turn three, let’s take them along to travel around the world, shall we?” After feeding the triplets until they were full, Rong Mo offered a suggestion with a smile.

Cheng Ruyi’s eyes brightened, and her face split into a wide grin: “This is an excellent idea! We can also eat all the delicious foods across the world.” The moment she imagined the different delicacies of various regions, Cheng Ruyi wished she could ripen the babies. However, though she had secretly used her superpower to stimulate them for a month, aside from their bodies becoming increasingly sturdy and healthy, the babies showed no signs of growing up at all. On this point, Cheng Ruyi felt rather dejected.

Rong Mo nodded with a smile: “Correct!”

Nanny Yang and Moxiang: “…” The young masters have only just reached their full month, yet the young master and the Miss are already thinking about three years later… isn’t that thinking a bit too far ahead?

Regardless, Cheng Ruyi now possessed a small goal: to travel around the world with Ah Mo and the babies to eat all the delicacies under heaven.

The ideal was beautiful, but reality was harsh. The babies were simply too small. At present, the issue that required the most immediate resolution was the locust plague.

That was correct—the locust plague. After an interval of more than two months, the locust plague arrived.

The overwhelming locust plague struck with an immense fury, blotting out more than half the sky. Wherever they passed, not a single blade of grass remained, looking exceptionally terrifying; it was even said they could devour people. Every household within the capital kept their doors and windows tightly shut.

The location drawing the most attention was the Changle Marquis Mansion. The fruits in the mansion hung heavily from the branches; even though the fully ripened fruits had been plucked, there were still quite a few fruits remaining on the trees. Quite a few families of high-ranking officials stayed inside their rooms, yet their minds remained fixed on the fruits of the Changle Marquis Mansion, and the Emperor inside the imperial palace fared the same.

“I wonder if we will still be able to eat the fruits from the Changle Marquis Mansion once this locust plague passes.” This was the shared thought in everyone’s hearts. There was regret, there was wistfulness, and naturally, there was also schadenfreude.

None of this concerned Cheng Ruyi. She was currently holding a massive net made of fine metal wire, her large eyes filled with excitement. Gazing at the vast sheet of ‘dark clouds’ in the distance, she spoke with soaring heroism.

“Ah Mo, I am going to display my great skills today and rid the people of this evil!”

The corner of Rong Mo’s eye twitched: “…As long as you like it!” If he hadn’t believed in his little wife’s capabilities, he wouldn’t have permitted her to take the risk.

Inside the rooms, Prince Rong, the Changle Marquis, and the others were completely speechless at Rong Mo’s unprincipled behavior of spoiling Cheng Ruyi.

The aroma wafting from the fruits of the Changle Marquis Mansion successfully drew all the passing locusts over. Cheng Ruyi stood there, gazing without fear at the locusts sweeping in to cover the sky. Her powerful spiritual energy spread outward, erecting a spiritual barrier that enveloped the entire Changle Marquis Mansion, leaving open only a single gap to allow the brainless locusts to rush inside.

Net after net of locusts was blasted to death by Cheng Ruyi.

The people inside the rooms were utterly dumbfounded: “…” These locusts were bizarre; ignoring all the fruit trees, they flew straight toward Cheng Ruyi, throwing themselves into the net.

“My daughter is amazing!” The Changle Marquis felt his blood boiling as he watched, wishing he could grab a net and go up himself. Prince Rong was also stimulated into a state of excitement by his daughter-in-law’s fierce aura. Men naturally favored hot-bloodedness; having cultivated his mind for so many years, Prince Rong couldn’t help but feel a bit eager to move.

After his initial shock, Rong Mo discovered that these locusts seemed to fly only in the direction of his little wife, while everyone else was completely ignored by them. He then calmly directed the guards to collect the locust corpses that his little wife had blasted to death.

“Ah Mo, I should be able to slaughter all these locusts today.” Cheng Ruyi fiercely swung a massive net of dead locusts over, boastfully declaring her dominance.

Rong Mo looked back at his little wife’s excited face, remaining silent for a brief moment: “…Just do your best.”

Cheng Ruyi nodded happily, immediately continuing to hunt and kill the locusts with great enthusiasm. Kill! Kill! Kill! The sky-blotting locust corpses piled up into a small mountain. The people of the Changle Marquis Mansion went from initial shock and horror to now numbly carting away wagon after wagon of locust carcasses. Cheng Ruyi slaughtered to her heart’s content.

Outside the capital, when everyone saw all the locusts rushing directly toward the direction of the Changle Marquis Mansion, those who were secretly monitoring the mansion within the capital were thoroughly stunned. People’s reactions varied.

“This time, the fruits of the Changle Marquis Mansion truly cannot be preserved. What a pity!”

“Without the fruits of the Changle Marquis Mansion, this life simply can’t go on.”

“Damned locusts, damned locust plague!”

“Haha, well done! I’ve long found that fellow the Changle Marquis unpleasant to the eye. Now that the fruit trees are gone, let’s see what else you have to gloat about.”

“…”

Cheng Ruyi was entirely unaware of any of this. By the time she had caught all the sky-covering locusts in one fell swoop, her face still carried an unfulfilled expression. These locusts excelled in sheer numbers, but their strength was utterly vulnerable; she treated it entirely like playing a game.

“Sigh, I haven’t even unleashed my ultimate move yet, and these locusts are already gone. Calling it a locust plague—this is way too few.” Cheng Ruyi felt extremely dejected as she looked at the locust corpses covering the ground. Having nested inside the mansion for over a month, she had finally obtained an opportunity to stretch her muscles, yet it was over just as she finished warming up.

The moment such hatred-inducing words left her mouth, everyone looked at Cheng Ruyi with expressions of horror. Had they heard incorrectly? The ground was covered in locust corpses, with striking trails of blood everywhere. The Miss actually complained that the locusts were too few…

Rong Mo’s forehead was covered in black lines, and he replied speechlessly: “…Ruyi, almost all the locusts of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty were concentrated here. It’s because your slaughtering speed was too fast that you felt they were few!” The well-informed Rong Mo naturally knew of this notoriously rampant swarm of locusts. Even though Dahu County had made preparations, they still suffered heavy losses. Who could have imagined that upon passing the capital, they would encounter their nemesis—his fierce little wife—and all die out completely?

The commoners of the capital went from initially shutting their doors tightly and trembling with fear as they awaited the locusts’ departure, to suddenly discovering that the oppressive swarms of locusts were all concentrating and flying toward a certain direction. Furthermore, they went in but never came out.

Up until the evening, no other locusts were seen retreating; on the contrary, the locusts blotting out the sun in the sky continuously diminished. Everyone found it exceptionally bizarre.

It was only when everyone witnessed the Changle Marquis’s horse carriages transport wagon after wagon of locust corpses through the streets that they completely understood. The locust swarms had been annihilated. Furthermore, it was said that the Eldest Young Lady Cheng—who was now the Prince Rong Heir’s Consort—had slaughtered them all by herself.

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

Cheng Ruyi’s fierce reputation once again spread like wildfire. Those ladies who harbored thoughts toward Rong Mo and wished to scheme against him all tucked their petty thoughts away completely.

When the Emperor learned of it, he specially commended Cheng Ruyi, expressing affirmation for her magnificent feat of eradicating the locusts. What brought him the greatest solace was that the fruits of the Changle Marquis Mansion had all been preserved. So… was this final point the actual focus? Cheng Ruyi was already completely without words to counter it.

After the locust plague passed, the capital once again restored its tranquility. There were only two to three months left before the end of the drought, and everyone prayed for the drought to conclude as quickly as possible; calculating the daily use of water was simply too miserable. Only Cheng Ruyi muttered continuously to the triplets every day, hoping they would grow up quickly.

When the news of the locusts ravaging the Great Zhou Dynasty being annihilated reached Cheng Qingyao’s ears in Dahu County, Cheng Qingyao lightly exhaled a breath. She hadn’t expected her cousin Cheng Ruyi to be so fierce, resolving even the sky-blotting, rampant locust swarm in less than a day. Fortunately, she had reined herself in at the edge of the precipice; otherwise…

When a person had left her far behind, reaching a height she could never hope to catch up to, no amount of envy, no amount of jealousy, and no amount of hatred mattered anymore. Cheng Qingyao smiled bitterly, a trace of tears naturally seeping from the corners of her eyes. By now, her hair had reached her shoulders; she touched the hair that had finally grown back with difficulty, gazing toward the direction of the capital.

Whether in her past life or this life, her cousin Cheng Ruyi was the winner in life. Meanwhile, she was no longer the high-and-mighty legitimate daughter of the Marquis Mansion. Cheng Qingyao, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jian’an, was already ‘dead.’

The drought was nearing its end, and the impending flood was not a cause for concern; the Great Zhou Dynasty had made preparations in advance and would surely pass through safely. She yearned to return to the capital, to return to that familiar and prosperous place, yet she could never go back again.

The tears from the corners of Cheng Qingyao’s eyes fell. Did she regret it? She didn’t know.

Sansukini: Well, I think I’ll finish this novel next week as there are only 5 chapters left. This novel and After Marrying the Disabled Prince are both nearing the end. I don’t know what novel to translate next.

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