Chapter 437: The Man-Eating Locust Case?

Chapter 437: Chapter 437: The Man-Eating Locust Case?

Princess Shu’s face suddenly paled. Tears streamed down before she even spoke. She clutched King Shu’s lapels. "Prince, this is the most important ingredient in the fertility prescription from the Divine Doctor."

The expressions on both King Shu and Mo Zhirou’s faces changed.

"What?" King Shu was stunned.

Princess Shu choked back sobs. "Ningning went through so much trouble to get these for me, and now they’re all ruined. The locusts are ravaging everything this year, so we’ll have to wait until next year. But I’ll be a year older then, and it will be even harder to conceive."

At this, Princess Shu began to weep.

Bearing children had become an obsession for her. Even in her dreams, she wanted a child.

An opportunity was finally within her grasp, only to be knocked into the water by Mo Zhirou!

Now, even Mo Zhirou was panicking.

She stammered, "Mother, I-I didn’t know this medicine was so important. I didn’t mean to. Mother, please forgive me!"

Shen Ningning pursed her pink lips. "You clearly pushed my hand on purpose. Otherwise, the bundle wouldn’t have fallen into the water. The housekeeper was right here just now. He must have seen it too."

The housekeeper, soaking wet, knelt to the side with his head bowed. He didn’t dare to confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

Mo Zhirou grew even more flustered. Seeing the change in Princess Shu’s eyes, she quickly knelt and cried, "I really was careless!"

"I was just trying to get incense from the Earth Mother Temple for Mother. I-I was in too much of a hurry, that’s why..."

More and more servants gathered around, whispering amongst themselves.

Feeling so many eyes on them, a shadow passed over King Shu’s eyes.

He immediately put his arm around the weeping, heartbroken Princess Shu and sternly reprimanded Mo Zhirou.

"Zhirou, your mother has always spoiled and indulged you, but this time you have made a grave mistake. You destroyed such a precious medicine and haven’t even offered a single word of apology. This is too much! All our careful teachings have been wasted on you."

With that, King Shu said angrily, "Hurry up and apologize to the Princess!"

Mo Zhirou turned and knelt before Shen Ningning, her face streaked with tears.

"Princess, please forgive me. I know I was wrong..."

’I really can’t be bothered with people like her.’

She only spoke to Princess Shu, "Aunt Princess Consort, I’ll be heading back now."

With that, the little girl departed gracefully.

Mo Zhirou continued to weep. King Shu’s expression was grim. He said, "Someone, take the young lady away. Ground her for three days. She is not to leave the house without my permission."

Then, King Shu embraced Princess Shu. "My lady, do not worry. There must be another way. Tell me—your husband—the name of that medicine. I will send men to search the entire world for it. We will find it."

Princess Shu sighed deeply and lifted her tear-filled eyes.

"Prince, will we ever have a child of our own in this lifetime?"

King Shu glanced out of the corner of his eye at the retreating, sobbing figure of Mo Zhirou.

He replied gently, "Of course we can. Whatever you want to do, I will risk my life to help you achieve it."

Princess Shu leaned against her husband’s chest, feeling comforted.

’Although conceiving a child was difficult, she was fortunate that her husband had never treated her harshly.’

’He hadn’t even taken another wife just because she couldn’t bear him a child.’

Princess Shu thought about how her father was the Admiral in charge of troops and provisions in Shu State. King Shu had often suggested that he wished her father would hand over control of some of those troops to him.

After all, it was a long-standing tradition in Cangyun Country to prevent a Prince from usurping the throne by sending them to their fiefdoms without granting them military authority.

But King Shu had always doted on Princess Shu. Since marrying him, she had seen with her own eyes how orderly he had made the governance of Shu State.

She had also suggested to her father many times, hoping that as Admiral, he would give half of the military forces to King Shu to help him better govern Shu State.

However, Princess Shu’s father had refused her outright.

And he had said without hesitation, "If this is the Prince’s own idea, have him come and speak to me himself, not use you as his mouthpiece."

Now that King Shu was being so considerate, Princess Shu decided she would find another good opportunity to talk to her father after returning to Shu State.

’After all, her husband had treated her with love and affection for many years, so she had to do something for him in return.’

...

Recently, a horrifying incident occurred in Shu State.

The locusts that had previously been causing chaos had actually eaten a person in Shu State!

It was said the person was eaten beyond recognition.

The local governor felt the matter was serious and reported it to the court.

When the Emperor learned of it, he immediately took it seriously.

’Anything related to a natural disaster was no small matter.’

Because Shu State was King Shu’s fiefdom, the Emperor first summoned King Shu. After King Shu left the Imperial Study Room, the Emperor ordered Xie Ming’an to travel to Shu State to investigate the matter.

On the day of Xie Ming’an’s departure, Shen Ningning made a special trip to the willow-lined docks to see him off.

The spring scenery was beautiful. The slowly flowing river rippled with a glittering brilliance, as if a handful of pearls had been scattered across its surface.

Shen Ningning stood at the ferry crossing, dressed in a blue brocade dress. Her face was fair and lovely, and she blinked her big, dark, glistening eyes as she looked at Xie Ming’an.

"You rotten Second Brother, do you really have to go? If you refused, Uncle Emperor wouldn’t make things difficult for you!"

’Shen Ningning could guess why King Shu had recommended Xie Ming’an to investigate this matter.’

’Princess Consort Qi was a vigilant and venomous person. She was afraid that on this trip to Shu State, the odds were stacked against Xie Ming’an.’

Xie Ming’an wore pale green and white robes. Standing in the willow-scented breeze, his handsome face and jade-like figure were all the more striking.

His expression was as proud as ever, but a hint of a smile appeared when he looked at Shen Ningning.

"Of course your Second Brother has to go. Otherwise, if I refuse this time, who knows what dirty tricks they’ll pull next."

"Besides, investigating cases is my strong suit, so you don’t need to worry. For this trip, Father and our eldest brother have equipped me with fine horses and a Hidden Guard."

"When I get back from Shu State, I’ll bring you a present."

Seeing his determination to go, Shen Ningning didn’t know what else to say.

She just sighed silently.

Then, she pulled three venomous black snakes right out of her sleeve!

Xie Ming’an jumped in fright.

He frowned sharply. "Why are you hiding poisonous creatures like these in your sleeve again? If they bite you..."

Before he could finish, Shen Ningning cut him off.

"They would never bite me. You rotten Second Brother, take Big Treasure, Second Treasure, and Third Treasure with you. Just let them hide in your sleeves. No one will find them."

"But they’re very sensitive to smells and movements. If anything is wrong, they will protect you."

Xie Ming’an was hesitant. "Really? Is that okay?"

Shen Ningning didn’t waste any more words on him. She grabbed his hand and then said to the three snakes, "I’m leaving my rotten Second Brother in your care. You have to protect him, okay?"

"If you do a good job, you’ll each get a fat old hen as a reward when you come back!"

The three venomous black snakes flicked their tongues as if they truly understood, then slithered into Xie Ming’an’s sleeve one by one.

Xie Ming’an’s muscles tensed up, and he was extremely apprehensive.

A cold sensation slithered along his skin, and the feeling immediately gave him goosebumps.

But the feeling quickly disappeared. The three slender, arm-length snakes had hidden themselves somewhere on his body.

With the arrangements more or less settled, Shen Ningning watched Xie Ming’an board the ship bound for Shu State.

’If all goes smoothly, he should be back in half a month.’

He watched as Shen Ningning’s figure, standing by the docks, gradually receded into the distance.

Xie Ming’an’s heart was touched, and he couldn’t help but call out, "Remember to miss your Second Brother, and don’t go around hugging other men, you hear me!"

Shen Ningning waved her small hand. "You rotten Second Brother, just get going already!"

The Ministry of Justice official accompanying him on this trip stood behind Xie Ming’an and couldn’t help but snicker.

Xie Ming’an’s face darkened.

’His little sister wouldn’t even say she’d miss him.’