The next morning.
A carriage arrived from Chang'an.
Three youths jumped down from the carriage.
It was Li Chengqian and the other two.
Perhaps Empress Changsun had made prior arrangements.
Upon meeting Fang Er, the three little fellows politely performed the ritual of becoming disciples.
Then, they found seats in the classroom and sat down.
Sitting up straight, with their small hands placed on their knees, they diligently listened to Fang Er teach Pinyin.
For a time.
The entire classroom.
There were adult voices, and children's voices.
Ah~Ou~Ah~Ou~Yi~~~~~
Endlessly.
Pinyin was taught for three days.
Teachers like Ma Tongyuan had almost all learned it.
Whether they could use it fluently was a matter for the future.
Leaving the matters of the school to the other teachers.
Fang Er took Xue Zhiqian and Ma Tongyuan with him.
In the printing workshop.
The organization of all the type molds began.
They were categorized according to the first letter of their Pinyin.
This way, when needed, the required type molds could be found quickly.
The mathematics textbook was typeset in just three days.
Fang Er's content was not extensive, only reaching about the third-grade level of primary school.
It was merely addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
It was already sufficient.
It took another two days to compile the Pinyin textbook.
Then came the large-scale printing.
When the brand-new textbooks appeared in the school.
The children looked at the unfamiliar symbols and letters in the books with bewilderment.
But when the teachers began to teach, they all found it much more interesting than the dry written characters.
Therefore, once interest was sparked, the learning speed naturally became very fast.
Standing outside the window, watching the children absorb knowledge like sponges, Fang Er revealed a knowing smile.
Turning, he walked out of the school.
And headed towards the Fang residence.
Suddenly, something hit the back of Fang Er's head.
He quickly reached out to feel it.
Hmm? It was alive.
He grabbed it with his hand and brought it before his eyes.
A grasshopper!
It was only mid-May, where did this grasshopper come from?
The normal appearance time for grasshoppers should be around the autumn harvest, around late July or early August.
Grasshoppers appearing in May?
Fang Er's expression suddenly changed!
Locust plague!
This situation only occurred before a locust plague!
This matter could not be taken lightly!
Fang Er wrapped the grasshopper in a leaf and put it in his pocket.
He hurried back.
Upon reaching the Fang residence, without taking anyone with him, he drove his pickup truck directly to Chang'an.
He parked the car outside Chengtian Gate.
After the guards announced him, Fang Er went to the Taiji Hall.
Empress Changsun was also there, standing behind Li Er, grinding ink for him.
Your subject, Fang Anzhi, greets His Majesty.
Li Shimin looked up at him.
Anzhi, come, see how this calligraphy of mine is?
Fang Er had something on his mind and had no time to look at his calligraphy. Besides, he didn't understand your flamboyant style anyway.
Your Majesty, there is an urgent situation, please look at this first.
Saying that, Fang Er took out the grasshopper from his pocket and handed it to a nearby eunuch.
The eunuch carefully placed the grasshopper on Li Shimin's imperial desk.
Li Shimin only glanced at it, and his expression instantly became tense!
Wu De nine year drought!
The first year of Zhenguan was halfway through, and only a few light rains had fallen.
The crops in the fields were not yet withered, but they were affected.
The appearance of grasshoppers at this time was indeed a top priority concerning people's livelihood!
Once a locust plague broke out, it would be a devastating disaster with widespread starvation!
Go summon the Duke of Zheng, the Duke of Liang, the Duke of Cai, immediately!
Li Shimin said with a solemn expression to the eunuch beside him.
The eunuch dared not delay and quickly ran out.
After that, Li Shimin stopped speaking.
He just rubbed his head and pondered for a solution.
Empress Changsun brought Li Shimin a cup of tea.
Your Majesty, with the ministers present, a solution will surely be found. Please have a sip of water.
Li Shimin did not take the cup of water.
Instead, he shook his head and said: You should go back first, this matter might be troublesome.
Empress Changsun placed the water on the imperial desk and then bowed and retreated.
Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui arrived quickly.
Upon entering the hall, they all saluted Li Shimin.
Li Shimin waved his hand directly.
Stop all this unnecessary formality. The Marquis of Liaodong discovered a grasshopper on his estate.
This matter is likely not good.
Tell me, how should we deal with it?
Upon hearing about the grasshopper, the three of them immediately changed their expressions.
They were all loyal ministers.
Especially Fang Xuanling, as the head of the Ministry of Revenue, he knew very well what the appearance of a grasshopper at this time represented!
But Fang Xuanling just shook his head.
Your Majesty, for locust plagues, there is no effective method; it can only be dealt with using the trench method.
Fang Er listened with some confusion and came forward to ask.
Please, Duke Fang, enlighten this humble one. How is the trench method operated?
So, Fang Xuanling explained.
The trench method, invented during the Han Dynasty to eradicate locusts, involved digging deep trenches along the edges of fields and roads, then waving branches, wooden flakes, and the like, making loud noises to drive the locusts into the trenches and bury them with soil.
However, some tenacious "little strong" grasshoppers, no, tenacious "little locusts," would still crawl out of the soil mounds and continue to cause trouble, as recorded in the "Book of Jin."
Is this like luring monsters and then hitting them with AoE traps?
But this creature naturally grows in the soil, so it is inevitable that the trench method's effect is limited.
Wei Zheng mustered his courage.
He stepped forward and said.
Your Majesty, since ancient times, locust plagues have been a warning from heaven to the mortal world.
Your subject boldly requests Your Majesty to issue a decree of self-reproach and offer sacrifices to heaven for blessings.
As soon as these words were spoken.
Li Shimin's face changed.
Damn it, I've been on the throne for less than a year, and you want me to issue a decree of self-reproach?
How am I supposed to manage things in the future?
Looking at the grasshopper in his hand, he gritted his teeth and directly threw it into his mouth.
It eats the grain of my Great Tang subjects, so I will eat it!
Why should I issue a decree of self-reproach?
Fang Er was dumbfounded!
A ruthless man.
Eating it raw?
The green fluid was already flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Li Shimin opened his mouth, and the grasshopper legs in his teeth were still twitching.
It looked.
Disgusting!
But Wei Zheng's words disgusted him even more.
These civil officials, at the slightest hint, talk about decrees of self-reproach.
The Tang Dynasty was relatively better. Especially in the late Ming Dynasty, the descendants of the Zhu family often found themselves manipulated by civil officials, and decrees of self-reproach were issued like freebies.
Fang Er stared at Wei Zheng, his tone somewhat mocking.
Duke Wei, for what transgression does Your Majesty need to issue a decree of self-reproach?
Is it for expanding territory?
Or for the success of disaster relief last year?
Or for reducing corvée and taxes?
Wei Zheng said with a serene face, uttering four words.
This is customary.
Li Shimin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Fang and Du looked at each other.
They really didn't know how to respond to him.
Indeed, since ancient times, whenever a natural disaster occurred, it was attributed to the emperor's lack of virtue or incompetence.
These natural disasters were considered punishments from heaven upon the emperor.
This notion had been circulating for hundreds of years.
But Fang Er was not happy.
He glanced at his fist and then retracted it.
It wasn't as big as Cheng Yaojin's fist!
Customary? What is customary?
Have those customs ever solved a locust plague?
ps: Well, do you want more? If so, throw your pre-order gifts! If the pre-order reaches 300, I'll add another chapter.