Love Lock

Chapter 257 Mountains of Swords and Seas of Fire

"No, you mustn't!" Han Lei rushed to help, but an old man with a missing front tooth grabbed her sleeve. "Your Highness, you don't know, the flood almost wiped out our harvest, and the day the locusts passed... sob..." The old man's cloudy tears fell onto the mud, "We were about to starve to death..."

Han Lei's throat tightened. She had golden rice seeds in her virtual shop, but now was not the time to plant them.

"Get up quickly." She helped the old man up and raised her voice, "Distribute the chickens and ducks to each household to manage, to help everyone get rid of the locust plague. Tomorrow I will give everyone some more grain and rice seeds, and we'll wait until spring..."

Before Han Lei could finish speaking, a buzzing sound suddenly came from her ears.

"Locusts!" someone screamed.

Under the moonlight, dark clouds loomed overhead, and the chilling sound of flapping wings grew ever closer.

Han Lei abruptly pushed open the lampshade switch, and seven solar lights blazed on simultaneously, weaving a net of light in the darkness. "Quick! Catch the locusts as I just taught you."

The villagers seemed to wake from a dream. The men carried chicken coops and ran, while the women and children opened the coops and released the chickens and ducks.

Eighty-year-old Granny Zhang ran faster than young people, and her little granddaughter held up a lamp and shouted, "Grandma is much better over there."

Han Lei stood in the center, watching the locusts fall like raindrops in the lamplight, while chickens and ducks flapped their wings and fought for the food. The dense swarms of locusts and chickens gave her goosebumps, making her feel like she might have trypophobia.

One little boy wasn't scared at all; instead, he found it fun. He was giggling as he watched the ducks chase the locusts, counting with his chubby fingers: "One, two, three..."

While the villagers weren't looking, Han Lei slipped her hand into the open chicken and duck cages and left them some emergency food in each cage.

Night had fallen, but the villagers, far from sleepy, were engaged in a fierce battle against locusts, using various tools to hunt and eat them.

By the time dawn broke, the piles of locust corpses throughout the village were already several inches thick.

The exhausted villagers, covered in sweat but with shining eyes, surrounded Han Lei, chatting happily.

A little girl with pigtails suddenly handed me a wild vegetable pancake: "Your Highness, have some..."

Han Lei squatted down to take the cold, hard biscuit and broke it open to share with the child.

In the dawn light, she heard someone humming a wild, off-key song: "The princess from Cangzhou, carrying a magic lamp and chickens and ducks..."

A guard whispered in her ear, "Your Highness, it's time to go to the next village."

"Okay! Let's go!" Han Lei nodded and walked towards the horse tied to the tree trunk.

As she prepared to mount her horse, she noticed a dozen rough safety knots tied to the saddle—knots that the villagers had tied when she wasn't looking.

...This is a line for asking for comments...

While Zhao Zun, Han Lei, and others were busy with disaster relief in Jingzhou, something happened in the capital—a particularly strange thing.

The warm winter sun shone brightly on the carved windows of Tengyun Tower, providing ample natural light to the building.

Since the opening of Zuixian Winery in the capital, Tengyunlou's business has declined significantly.

Lunchtime is usually the peak business period for restaurants, but Tengyunlou was sparsely populated, a far cry from its former bustling scene.

At this moment, at a table in a corner on the first floor, several diners dressed as merchants were clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

“It’s strange,” a middle-aged man in a lake-blue silk robe took a sip of wine and smacked his lips, “After the autumn harvest this year, I made a trip to the north to deliver goods, and it was peaceful all the way. I didn’t even see a shadow of those Turkic barbarians.”

Upon hearing this, the man in the brown short jacket opposite him replied, "This shows that Cao Xiong is quite capable as the Marshal of the Northern Pass. I heard that in the battle at the end of spring, he routed the Turks, who fled in disarray..."

"Shh-"

The man in blue suddenly made a shushing gesture, looked around, leaned forward, and said mysteriously, "What do you know? I saw with my own eyes in Yong'an City that the Jinxiufang caravan was transporting grain and fodder northward!"

The room fell silent immediately after those words were spoken.

A pale-faced young man who hadn't spoken until now, choked on his drink and coughed as he asked, "Jinxiufang? Isn't that..."

“It is the property of the eldest son of Prime Minister Wei.” The man in blue narrowed his eyes meaningfully. “Several hundred carts of grain! My men and I saw it clearly.”

"No way?" The man in brown suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. "Young Master Wei is now a member of the royal family, how could he..."

"Keep your voice down!" The scholar hurriedly pulled him down to sit, but his face was full of gossip as he couldn't help but ask, "Is this true? The court is currently procuring provisions for the campaign against Cangzhou. If the Wei family really has surplus, why would they send it to the Turks instead of donating it to the court? Isn't that..."

The man in the blue shirt mysteriously pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve: "Look at this."

Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed that the handkerchief bore the logo of Jinxiufang embroidered on one corner.

“This was picked up by a caravan from Jinxiufang when they passed by us, and I even washed it clean.”

The scholar's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and his fingers clenched unconsciously: "If Young Master Wei is colluding with the Turks... then wouldn't it be Cao Xiong who allowed the caravan to leave the pass?"

He pointed to the sky, his voice growing softer until it was almost a whisper, "Those two are colluding, could it be that they're planning to..."

Everyone looked up at his fingers and gasped in unison.

A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the window, making the window frame creak, as if echoing this alarming conjecture.

Cao Xiong's ashes were probably burned clean in the honeycomb briquettes. He never imagined that even in death he would be inexplicably burdened with a false accusation.

Just then, the golden nanmu wood gate of Tengyun Tower was pushed open by two servants in blue robes, the gilded copper rings clanging together with a crisp sound.

Twelve maids dressed in red and green led the way, while eight servants with jade belts guarded the rear. Princess Chang Le, supported by her personal maid Ming Yue, gracefully entered, stepping into the room in her three-inch pearl-embroidered shoes.

Today she wore a light red, wide-sleeved dress covered with gold peony embroidery, and twelve gold phoenix hairpins with pearls jingled with her steps. There were seven jade pendants hanging from her waist. Every step she took was like a symphony of gold and jade.

"Oh my! Princess, may you be well! Please come upstairs to a private room." When the waiter Li Xiao'er saw the big spender arrive, his eyes lit up, and the smile on his face made his wrinkles look like chrysanthemums.

He jogged forward with a slight bow, lifted the hem of his brand-new indigo shirt, and was about to kneel down to pay his respects when the nanny beside Princess Chang Le raised her hand to stop him.

Princess Chang Le parted her lips slightly, her polished nails gracefully brushing against her temples.

"Alright, I'm exhausted today." She glanced at the guests and saw that everyone had stopped eating and looking at her. Her vanity was satisfied, and a smug smile appeared on her lips.

Following behind Princess Chang Le, Zhao Qiao'er was also adorned with pearls and jade today. Her ten fingers, adorned with nail polish, were visible beneath her apricot-yellow brocade jacket. However, she kept unconsciously touching the newly made filigree gold hairpin in her hair as she walked, clearly not yet accustomed to such a luxurious attire.

Ever since Princess Chang Le gave her two hundred taels of silver that day, Zhao Qiao'er immediately bought herself a new outfit, dressing in a rather tacky and unsophisticated way. They say you love to show off what you lack!
Princess Chang Le and Zhao Qiao'er are now at the same level in terms of dressing style, as if they are afraid that others will not look at them well.

Both of them dressed themselves up to be as noble as possible, wearing all the finest clothes and accessories they could, all in an effort to save face in front of others.

On the day the Marquis's mansion was bombed, although all of the mansion's properties were burned down by Han Lei's men, the channels and foundations behind these properties were still intact. Despite the heavy losses, they could still be rebuilt.

As long as these businesses continue, they will continue to provide economic support to Princess Chang Le.

Now that Princess Chang Le has lost her family status and her princess identity, she loves to flaunt her noble demeanor in front of others even more than before.

Of course, the most direct way for her to show off was by throwing money at it.

Now that Zhao Qiao'er has become involved with Princess Chang Le, she walks with her head held high and her eyes are even more arrogant and smug than when she was Lin Yuanshan's wife.

Li Xiaoer courteously ushered Princess Chang Le to a private room on the second floor. The carved door was pushed open by two maids, and the old woman hurriedly took out a thousand-gold-a-tael incense stick and put it into the incense burner to burn.

As soon as Princess Chang Le sat down in the rosewood armchair covered with white fox fur, Zhao Qiao'er hurriedly tried to pour her tea, but Princess Chang Le raised her hand to stop her, saying, "Now that you are a respectable person, sit down."

"This servant... Sister thanks the Princess for her kindness." Zhao Qiao'er curtsied, feeling flattered, and only dared to sit halfway on the embroidered stool.

Her newly painted rose-colored nails made a soft scraping sound on the teacup, causing the princess to frown slightly.

Li Xiaoer deftly took the cloud-patterned handkerchief handed to him by the maid and wiped the already gleaming octagonal table again: "What would the princess like to eat today? The freshly arrived carp from the Xiaoqing River weighs a full three pounds, and there's also food prepared by a disciple of the imperial chef..."

"Noisy." Princess Chang Le casually twirled the jade bracelet on her wrist. "Just reduce it by 20% as usual."

Li Xiaoer agreed with a fawning expression and turned to go out and make arrangements.

A moment later, all the food and wine that Princess Chang Le was served was brought out, and Mingyue immediately stepped forward to serve the food to Princess Chang Le.

"Princess, please enjoy your meal."

Li Xiaoer bowed and was about to leave when Princess Chang Le called out to him, "Wait!"

Li Xiaoer immediately stopped in his tracks, knowing that he was about to make some money again.

Princess Chang Le tossed a ten-tael silver ingot lightly, which Li Xiao'er caught with delight. "Princess, is there anything else you require?"

"Anything interesting lately? Especially... about the King of Cangzhou," Princess Chang Le asked casually.

Since Princess Chang Le lost her loved ones, she has been immersed in grief and has not left the Marquis of Champion's mansion for a long time.

After the trauma, she felt disconnected from the outside world, and there were many things she didn't know.

The customers at Tengyun Tower were all wealthy and powerful, and she was a regular there before the incident at the Marquis of Champion's mansion.

So she often asked the waiters at Tengyunlou about news she had heard outside and what gossip was going on in the elite circles of the capital.

Li Xiaoer's eyes darted around, and he pocketed the heavy silver ingot.

He lowered his voice and said, "The King of Cangzhou hasn't sent any new news, but..."

He suddenly noticed Zhao Qiao'er's perked-up ears and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Princess Chang Le understood and waved her hand to dismiss the servants, leaving only Mingyue to guard the door.

"Young Master Wei, the owner of Jinxiufang..." The waiter leaned close to Princess Changle's ear, his voice barely audible, "I heard that he secretly arranged for a caravan to transport over a hundred cartloads of grain to the Turks, and it was Marshal Cao, the garrison commander of Beiguan, who personally approved the passage."

"Clang!" The princess slammed her teacup on the table, startling Zhao Qiao'er.

"Nonsense!" Princess Chang Le's face darkened, her phoenix eyes widening: "Young Master Wei is now a member of the imperial family. Do you know what crime it is to falsely accuse a member of the imperial family?"

The waiter wrung his hands anxiously: "Princess, this is not what I said. Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to make up such a story! It was said by the gentlemen eating downstairs. They said that their merchant caravan witnessed it firsthand, and that when they passed another caravan, they even picked up the Brocade Pavilion token that the other caravan had dropped."

He thought for a moment, then mimicked the guest's manner of speaking, and said, "The imperial court is procuring provisions from various prefectures to attack Cangzhou, yet the Wei family, despite having surplus, is giving it to the Turks. Young Master Wei... I'm afraid he wants to ascend to that position..."

Princess Chang Le narrowed her eyes, then suddenly smiled and said, "Interesting! Give him another silver ingot."

"Yes!"

Mingyue responded and took out a silver ingot from her handbag, handing it to Li Xiaoer. Li Xiaoer was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Your Highness! Your Highness is so noble and generous, I will certainly..."

Princess Chang Le raised her slender hand and gently waved her fingertips, interrupting the waiter's endless chatter.

"Alright, you can go now." Her voice was soft, but it carried a clear hint of impatience.

The waiter kowtowed twice, smiled broadly, bowed, and retreated, making sure to gently close the carved wooden door of the private room before leaving.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Princess Chang Le's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, her surprised and cautious expression vanished, and she burst out laughing while covering her handkerchief embroidered with gold thread.

"Princess, what is this...?" Zhao Qiao'er didn't understand the implications and blinked her almond-shaped eyes in confusion as she looked at Princess Chang Le.

"Qiao'er," Princess Chang Le finally managed to stop laughing, her eyes still brimming with amusement, "I've thought of a way to save you and your daughter!"

"Really?" Zhao Qiao'er suddenly stood up, knocking over her teacup with her sleeve, causing the emerald green tea to spread across the sandalwood table.

She didn't even bother wiping herself, and asked anxiously, "Is it related to the young master Wei that the waiter mentioned earlier?"

Princess Chang Le raised her round fan to half-cover her lips, a deep glint in her eyes: "Indeed. This is a golden opportunity." She deliberately drew out her words, "However..."

"Princess, please speak freely!" Zhao Qiao'er's eyes reddened with anxiety. "As long as we can escape this predicament, even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, Qiao'er will go!"

“There’s no need for such danger.” Princess Chang Le smiled mysteriously and beckoned to her, “Come closer and listen.”

Zhao Qiao'er quickly moved closer and saw Princess Chang Le whispering in her ear.

As the words fell, Zhao Qiao'er's eyes widened, and she finally took a half-step back in shock: "This...how can this be?"

"What?" Princess Chang Le raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you were willing to go through fire and water?"

“But…” Thinking about the current situation of herself and her daughter, Zhao Qiao’er frowned and bit her lower lip, looking as if she was about to die.