Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The sky is dimly bright.

On the open fields outside Anyang City, a dense crowd of over a thousand people had already gathered.

The farmers squatted in groups of three or five along the edge of the field.

The men carried hoes and pitchforks, while the women carried baskets on their backs.

The children, some of whom were only a teenager, weaved through the gaps in the crowd.

After Zhao Pucheng posted the notice yesterday, he instructed the village heads to go door-to-door overnight to notify everyone. Those who could come all came.

But the people had little expectation; when they arrived, they simply watched indifferently.

An old man squatting in the front row muttered something to the person next to him.

"Ducks can kill locusts? This is the first time I've heard of such a rare thing."

"Who knows?"

The burly man next to him rubbed his hands together.

"Anyway, the imperial court says they can get rid of the locusts, so let's come and see."

"I reckon it's just for show."

Someone then added a comment.

"It's just like distributing disaster relief grain a few years ago, a mere formality."

Whispers rose and fell among the crowd.

On a nearby earthen slope, Jia Zhengjing was leading his constables to maintain order.

Occasionally, he would sneak past the people, listening intently, and secretly rejoice at the conversations he overheard.

How could the noblemen from Kyoto understand the habits of these unruly northerners?

Once the ducks are released, the locusts won't be able to be caught.

If the scene becomes chaotic, and someone incites the crowd even slightly... it will surely incite public outrage!

At that point, forget about eradicating the locusts.

The emperor's and the reputation of that arrogant Pujitang will be completely ruined outside Anyang City!

At 3:45 AM, several large flatbed carts drove from the direction of the military camp.

The vehicle was piled high with bamboo cages.

White feathers peeked out from the gaps in the cage, occasionally emitting a muffled cawing sound.

The people craned their necks to get a better look.

"The ducks are here! The ducks are here!"

"Wait a minute... are there only a few trucks like this?"

"Good heavens, at most three or four hundred ducks? That's not even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

It should be noted that the locust plague in Jizhou spread to five counties, including tens of thousands of acres of farmland around Anyang!

With just a few hundred ducks scattered around, you won't even be able to splash water, let alone kill locusts!

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.

"this one?"

"I knew the imperial court was just putting on a show! This is no joke!"

"Sigh, let's call it a day. What's the point of hoping for anything? Let's just go back and wait to die..."

Cui Zhe mingled in the crowd and winked at a few servants at the back.

Those few people understood each other and began to whisper among themselves.

"You all don't know yet, do you? I heard that the person in charge of the locust eradication isn't some imperial envoy at all, but the owner of a trading company!"

"That landlady is just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl! She can't even tell the difference between wheat and chives, she knows nothing but wild fantasies!"

"Exactly! A few hundred ducks think they can cure the locust plague in Jizhou? I think she's just making a fool of us ordinary people and trying to gain fame!"

"If you ask me, the Cui family's grain shop is much more reliable! At least they sell grain with real money, isn't that better than this showy facade?"

These few words of incitement precisely struck at the nerves of the people's anxiety, and the crowd showed signs of rioting.

Zhao Pucheng stood at the front of the crowd, and upon hearing these treasonous remarks, his face turned ashen with rage.

He turned to look at the crowd, wanting to open his mouth and reprimand them.

But when he opened his mouth, he found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Because he himself really wasn't sure!

He didn't understand why the emperor trusted a young master so much.

The people believe that seeing is believing. If Pujitang cannot demonstrate its true abilities today, and these tens of thousands of disaster victims were to cause chaos, the credibility of the imperial court would be ruined.

Just as the crowd began to stir.

Suddenly, someone pointed to the distance along the official road and shouted:

"Look! What...what's that?!"

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

At the end of the official road, dust billowed.

A long line of smoke stretched from the horizon.

It looked like something huge was moving.

Two columns of cavalry from the Northern Army.

Holding a long spear, the horse moved slowly forward with small, quick steps.

Between the two rows of cavalrymen were densely packed flocks of ducks.

The white bodies surged forward, crowding together and covering the entire official road.

It extends from the field ridge on the left to the ditch on the right.

The orange-red webbed feet pattered on the yellow earth, making a soft, rustling sound.

From a distance, it looks like a white river flowing across the land.

Thousands of people outside Anyang City fell silent.

The old man, who refused to believe in such things, widened his eyes and slowly stood up.

Jia Zhengjing opened his mouth wide, his mocking smile turning into a twitch, frozen on his face.

The sarcastic remarks that the Cui family servants, who were mixed in with the crowd, were about to make were abruptly cut off.

The flock of ducks is getting closer.

The white "river" grew wider and wider.

Gu Mingyue stood on the ridge of a field not far away with Yi Wu and Tao Zhi, her hands behind her back, looking at the spectacular scene in the distance, a slight smile on her lips.

The six accountants of Pujitang set up their positions outside the city gate.

A long table, several thick account books, and writing brushes, inkstones, and other implements were neatly arranged.

Gu Mingyue greeted Yi Wu and Tao Zhi.

"Let's go, register and get the ducks."

The yamen runners struck the gong, and the people gathered around.

Zhao Pucheng and his constables cleared a path for Gu Mingyue.

Gu Mingyue strode up to a wooden platform erected in front of the city gate, her calm and collected gaze sweeping over the sea of ​​people below.

She announced loudly, "Fellow villagers! Today is the day to eradicate locusts. Come and collect your ducks by village. Villagers are registering now!"

"According to the rules in the notice, each village can take one flock of ducks!"

Just as the crowd was about to cheer, Gu Mingyue raised her hand, suppressing the noise, and dropped the real bombshell:

"In addition! Pujitang is recruiting and signing contracts with farmers today!"

"For any village willing to sign a contract with Pujitang, Pujitang will provide the highest quality crop seeds and planting guidance free of charge!"

"After the harvest, no matter how much the price of grain drops outside, Pujitang will guarantee to purchase it at the market price plus 10%!"

"If another disaster year occurs in the future, Pujitang will not only provide disaster relief methods, but also interest-free loans to help everyone buy food and survive!"

At this point, Gu Mingyue reached out and pointed to the vast white duck army behind her.

"Most importantly, as long as a village is willing to join Pujitang, each household will receive two 'merit ducks' for free after the locust eradication ends today, to take home and use for laying eggs and hatching ducklings!!"

"Those who do not wish to join Pujitang can simply return all the ducks after the locusts are eradicated!"

Actually, she had been hoarding these ducks for three months, and Manager Chen always wanted to sell them.

If Gu Mingyue hadn't been holding back the sale, this would have been another huge source of income.

Now, distributing these funds in Jizhou can be considered a way to help the people, without increasing the income of her Pujitang.

However, her words caused an uproar in the audience!

"Good heavens! Is this for real?! Joining this so-called 'hall' and they even give you free ducks?!"

"Did you hear that! We're buying grain at high prices! Even in years of famine, you can borrow money to buy grain!"

"Then...then won't we no longer be forced to sell our children by those unscrupulous grain merchants?"

"A living Buddha! A living Buddha has descended to earth to save us!"

The crowd went completely into a frenzy.

The village heads were so excited they were trembling all over.

After looking at each other in bewilderment, they quickly raised their voices to gather the villagers of their village, and they held an emergency meeting head to head.

The first person to react and rush out was a thin, dark-skinned old man in his fifties.

"Master Gu... are you really, really not going to charge us a single penny for taking this duck home?"

"Not a penny will be accepted."

Gu Mingyue pointed to the row of accountants sitting upright next to her.

"A contract in black and white, stamped with the county government's official seal, and notarized by the imperial court. Puji Hall, its word is law."

The dark, thin old man's cloudy eyes shone with light, and the villagers behind him jumped and danced with excitement.

"Village head! What are you waiting for! Register! Hurry up and put your fingerprints on!"

"With the imperial court's guarantee, Pujitang has given us ordinary people a long-term way to make a living!"

"From now on, whether it's a year of famine or a year of plenty, we peasants will never have to sell our land for food again!"

"Okay! I'll press it!"

The dark-skinned, thin old man was so excited that his face turned red, and he quickly lined up in front of the accounting table.

"We're signing up! Thirty-seven households from Willow Village!"

The accountant's pen fell, leaving a vermilion handprint that spread across the rough paper, and he steadily signed the first order.

Upon hearing the terms and witnessing the scene, Magistrate Zhao Pucheng, who was standing to the side, was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

His Majesty is truly working for the benefit of the people!

This Pujitang is truly dedicated to helping all people!

With such favorable policies and such strong backing, what is there for the people to hesitate about!

Zhao Pucheng snatched the gong from the bailiff's hand, banged it twice, and then roared:

"Folks! Did you all hear that? Everyone, hurry up and sign up! First come, first served!"

"Sign up to get a duck! Let's lead our army of white ducks to the fields to eat locusts!"

Upon hearing the call from their local official, the people's last trace of doubt vanished, and their enthusiasm soared to the heavens.

The villagers were all green with envy, fearing that all the spots would be snatched up, and they rushed forward like madmen.

"Donghe Village! Fifty-two households! We've signed for all of them!!"

"Don't push me! Majiatun! Forty-one households! We even cultivate wasteland together!"

"Nanpo Village, sixty-eight households!!"

……