The locust plague in Shandong is serious, and the locusts are roaring all over the world, and the places where they pass are in shambles.

At this time, it was generally believed that locusts were born from the evil spirit of heaven and earth, and they came to punish sin. The people only dared to watch the locusts eat the grain, and did not dare to kill them.

The court was also divided into two factions, led by Prime Minister Yao Chong, who advocated following the ancient method to exterminate locusts, while Ni Ruoshui, the assassin of Bianzhou, opposed the extermination of locusts, believing that locusts were natural disasters and should be cultivated.

During the debate, the locusts have swooped in the direction of Hebei and the capital, Yao Chong took out the passage of the poem "Datian", confirming that there was a precedent for catching locusts in ancient times, and emphasized that today's saint is the king, and the locust plague is not a crime from heaven, and it is both soft and hard, and finally said that Ni Ruoshui will hunt and kill locusts.

When Shen Mengxi heard about it, he hurriedly sent two hundred guards and servants to Bianzhou to help exterminate the locusts.

At this time, the methods of exterminating locusts are only manual culling during the day and lighting fires to attract locusts at night.

The people sent by Shen Mengxi brought 500 chickens and ducks, and when they arrived in the disaster area, they were scattered and let them eat as much as they wanted, and everyone also went into battle to catch locusts with nets, and put them all in sacks.

After fighting for five or six days, not counting the burned to death, a total of 140,000 stone of locusts were killed and killed, Ni Ruoshui ordered all the locusts to be thrown into the Bianhe River, but was dissuaded by Shen Wu, "If Ni Tingshi handed over these locusts to the lower officials to deal with." ”

Ni Ruoshui was very surprised, and he didn't know what he wanted these insects to do.

"The eldest princess was merciful and ordered us not to bring the chickens and ducks back, and to distribute them to the people in the disaster area. I just hope that Ni Tingshi can capture the locusts and let me bring some back to Luoyang. ”

"I don't know, what is this locust for?"

"Eat." Shen Wu said with a smile, "The princess said that you can fry it to eat it to strengthen your body." ”

Ni Tingshi opened his mouth wide and immediately closed it, as if he was afraid that someone would stuff the locusts into his mouth and let him eat them.

Ni Tingshi only felt goosebumps all over his body, and he had heard that Princess Taiping was very good at thinking about all kinds of new gadgets, but he didn't expect to be interested in insects. Then he said to Shen Wu: "Ni is a generation of Bianzhou officials and people, grateful for the kindness of the eldest princess, if the eldest princess really needs it, Ni will send someone to Luoyang." ”

"No need, the disaster is serious, Ni Tingshi is busy with official business, I will take it away by myself." When Shen Wu and the others came, they pulled the cart of chickens and ducks, and when they went back, they were full of locusts, and they hired carts and horses, pulled 10,000 stones, and rushed back to Luoyang day and night.

Ni Tingshi's side still ordered people to throw all the remaining locusts into the Bianhe River.

When Shen Mengxi saw it, his scalp was numb, "Shen Wu, don't you sprinkle four?" Yes? Do you sprinkle or not? Who wants you to bring back so many locusts? What do I do in the summer? ”

Poor Shen Wu, who had already grown his beard, was trained to bow his head and argue, "The princess didn't say how much she wanted!" The more subordinates consider, the better. ”

This locust can be used for both medicine and food, rich in more than 70% protein and a variety of amino acids and vitamins, and can also warm the stomach and help yang, strengthen the spleen and eliminate food, dispel wind and relieve cough.

Removed wings and legs and feet, can be eaten with deep frying. Few people are willing to fry it, but Shen Mengxi is willing, while contacting the pharmacy to collect the medicine, on the other hand, let all the guards and servants go into battle, clean up the locusts, and then set up a cauldron, fried the locusts, she and Jinxin drilled into the kitchen with a secret dipping sauce, the so-called secret system, is just a dry dish dipping sauce that she used to eat barbecue, pepper noodles, cumin noodles, crushed peanuts, chili powder, etc.

In addition to frying, it is also skewered with bamboo skewers and grilled on a charcoal fire.

The maidservants didn't dare to eat at first, but the princess had an order to eat, so they ate hard, and after eating, they found that their mouths were full of fragrance, and they were more delicious when they dipped in the dipping sauce.

Shen Mengxi also asked the young children in the house to set up a barbecue stall in front of their own shop in Nanshi and Beishi, specializing in selling roasted locusts, and the income from the sale was half of them. The children jumped up happily, got up before dawn, and waited for the drum to beat and the door to open, so that they could go to the market to make a lot of money.

Shen Mengxi ordered someone to pickle a batch of locusts for storage, and specially sent people to Chang'an quickly, sending some to each of the four children's families, and sending a lot to the Emperor Taishang and the emperor, as for their reaction, Shen Mengxi didn't care.

Ten liters for one bucket, ten buckets for one stone, this ten thousand stones, sold to the pharmacy part, ate a part, Shen Mengxi also found an opportunity to collect a part of the Wuling space, and ordered someone to take it outside the city to give it to the villagers, and teach them to roast and eat.

Anyway, the princess's mansion was very happy because of the locusts for a few days.

Let's say that Chang'an was in an uproar because of Ni Ruoshui's killing of locusts in large quantities, and even Li Longji said to Yao Chong: "Prime Minister, there are too many killings, and there are injuries and anger!" "It was said that Luoyang sent fried locusts, as well as a special dipping sauce.

Li Longji looked at a plate of browned locusts, almost vomited on the spot, sighed, remembered that in the early years, his aunt often took Yin'er Jian'er to play games with him, often teased them, let them go to the kitchen to learn to cook, let them learn to wash clothes, learn to dig a stove in the field to make a fire, and learn to fish. Still smiling and picking up one, he smelled it, he suspected that his aunt had put laxatives in it, and finally he still didn't eat it. It was rewarded to the little eunuch and eaten.

Li Dan read his sister's letter, happy and helpless, muttering about his sister's heart, which is really unbearable. According to the letter, he ordered someone to fry the locusts in the pot over low heat again, although it smelled very fragrant, but he still didn't have the courage to eat it.

Looking at the plate of locusts that made people numb, he only felt that the cold hair stood upright, so he asked the eunuch to eat first, and tasted the saltiness in the name of it, the eunuch wiped a handful of sweat, hardened his scalp, picked up one, dipped it in some dipping sauce, closed his eyes and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it.

I opened my eyes, tasted it, and couldn't help but pick up another one, chew it carefully, and said in surprise: "The Emperor!" Delicious! It's really delicious! ”

Li Danhu also ate it suspiciously, the meat was really tender, and he ate a few more with his eyes closed before giving up.

Later, someone sent some melons and fruits from the Western Regions and Lingnan to my sister.

Shen Mengxi received the reward from the Emperor Taishang, and also heard the report of "hurt and angry", laughed on the spot and patted the case, and asked breathlessly: "Then what?" ”

Shen Qi looked at the princess who had no image helplessly, "Yao Yuan immediately used his net worth and life as a guarantee and insisted on exterminating locusts. His Majesty was moved by the Prime Minister's will and let Yao Xiang have full authority to deal with the locust plague without intervening. ”

Shen Mengxi stopped laughing, "Touched by a fart!" It's just to let Yao Chong carry the so-called heavenly curse. Yao Chong is a bold one. Shh It's so troublesome to deal with a plague of insects, and anything can be linked to the heavens. ”

Shen Qi didn't answer, and he didn't even raise his eyelids.

After waiting for a while, seeing that the princess no longer spoke, she continued to talk about the progress of gunpowder making, "Those two Taoist priests lived fairly well in the cave, but the day before yesterday the furnace was blown up, and one Taoist priest hurt his face. After using the medicine given by the princess, it is no longer a problem; The development of the giant crossbow was somewhat slow...... Mining of two mines has also begun......"