Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 203: The Lord of Heaven descends upon Chang'an? Please approach science! [Seeking monthly votes]

After returning from the execution ground at Goujiling, many people in Chang'an had a clearer understanding of Prince Li Chengqian.

If pacifying the Northern Frontier and praying for rain through the sky made the people of Chang'an feel that Prince Li Chengqian was omnipotent, then the execution of officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Family Names at the Goujiling execution ground directly personified the Prince Li Chengqian in their minds.

Because they have never been so happy in their lives.

He could actually punch a fourth-rank official and step on a second-rank minister.

This is probably very rare in all dynasties.

"No wonder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that the people of the Tang Dynasty have dignity. It turns out that having dignity feels so good. God bless our Tang Dynasty!"

A Chang'an citizen sighed for no reason in a restaurant.

The people dining around them also echoed, "Yes! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is only nine years old and already thinks about the people. When he grows up, he will definitely be a wise ruler!"

"Of course! Throughout history, I really can't think of any prince who can compare with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" A scholar agreed with a smile.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Yang?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a pot-bellied businessman walked in and said mockingly: "Didn't you say you were going to join the army? Why are you still sitting here?"

"Yes, Mr. Yang, I heard that you have been trying to curry favor with the Wang family of Taiyuan recently. What's the matter? They don't want you anymore?" A scholar following behind the merchant also said sarcastically.

The scholar named Yang Xiucai's face darkened and he stood up and was about to leave.

However, he was stopped by the scholar behind the merchant: "Hey, don't go, Brother Yang, tell us all, wouldn't you rather be a centurion than a scholar? How come you were really kicked out by the Wang family?"

"Brother Han, what do you mean?!"

Yang Xiucai looked coldly at the scholar in front of him.

But then he heard the scholar in front of him sneer and say, "How can a pheasant be paired with a phoenix? I'm reminding you not to be so delusional about Miss Wang. You're just a peasant boy. How can you really think that passing the exam will allow you to become an official?"

"Humph!"

Yang Xiucai snorted coldly and said solemnly, "Brother Han, you don't need to worry about Ruyan and I. You should prepare well for this special exam. Don't let yourself fail the exam to become a scholar!"

"you!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar surnamed Han's face flushed with anger. Finally, he uttered a harsh remark, "Just wait and see! I'll kill you when I'm in high school!"

"Then let's talk about it when you're in high school."

Yang Xiucai pushed the other person away and walked straight out of the restaurant.

The other guests looked at each other in confusion when they saw this, but no one dared to stand up and speak for Mr. Yang.

Because the scholar named Han and the businessman both have the support of powerful families.

And the Yang scholar just now was just a boy from a poor family.

Although they had felt proud of themselves because of the incident at Goujiling, they were still full of fear when facing the aristocratic families in private.

Even if they were just two dogs from a wealthy family, they would not dare to offend them easily.

So the whole restaurant quickly changed from the lively atmosphere just now to the current silence.

"Hey, Boss Zhang, Young Master Han, please come in!"

Upon seeing this, the restaurant owner hurriedly came out to greet Han Shusheng and the other man, and invited them into the private room on the second floor of the restaurant.

After a while, the restaurant became lively again.

But there is still a big gap compared to before.

However, just when they thought things had settled down and they could have a good meal, there was a sudden noise outside the door.

"Everyone look! What is that!"

"In the sky! Look up in the sky!"

Hearing the noise, the people in the restaurant couldn't help but run to the door and the window.

The originally bright sky suddenly became dark.

The sky was filled with darkness, like black clouds, covering the sky and the sun, and making a buzzing sound like bees.

Soon, someone saw something falling down.

And this time the sound of it falling was like rain, splashing down.

An elderly citizen curiously picked up the fallen items on the ground and examined them carefully.

It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it, but as soon as he saw it, his eyes widened and he couldn't help but tremble and said, "This, this, this is a locust!"

"What!?"

The people around were shocked when they heard the old man's words.

"Oh my god! The locusts are coming so fast! They've already spread to Chang'an!"

"How is this possible! Why are there so many locusts!"

"Look! The sky is covered with locusts. They are leaving us no way to survive!"

Although most of these Chang'an residents were families of nobles living in the city, there were also ordinary people who had experienced the locust plague.

In their memory, the appearance of locusts has never been a good thing.

Because it means a lot of people will die.

Then they had to watch their crops being devoured by locusts.

Not only the crops, but also all green things, whether grass or vegetation, will be eaten up by locusts.

Even plants that are not eaten by cattle and sheep will be bitten by locusts, leaving holes in them.

"not good!"

When Yang Xiucai saw this scene, the first thing he thought of was the crops grown by his family.

Although he often moved around in the city, his home was not in the city but outside the city.

Seeing the locust plague all over the sky, he was completely panicked and rushed out of the city without thinking.

At this time, the fields outside the city were filled with wailing.

An old farmer saw with his own eyes that the crops around him turned into bare stalks in the blink of an eye, without even a piece of green left. He collapsed completely.

"It's over!!"

"This year's harvest is gone!"

"woooooo"

Originally, the livelihood of each household depended on the food in the fields. Now with so many locusts passing through, even the bark of the trees and the grass leaves have been eaten clean. There is simply no way to survive.

"father!"

Yang Xiucai looked at the old farmer lying on the ridge of the field and rushed over to help him up. He pinched his philtrum and shouted anxiously, "Dad, don't scare me! Dad!"

"Wu Lian! We're finished, all finished!"

The old farmer woke up in a daze, and when he saw his son in front of him, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Yang Xiucai quickly tried to comfort him, "Dad! We are not finished! Don't worry, as long as I can pass the imperial examination, our family won't have to work in the fields to make a living."

"Wu Lian, stop talking nonsense. Without the recommendation of a noble family, you will never succeed."

The old farmer sighed and shook his head, then looked at the stalks of crops in the field and cried, "Oh my God, why are there so many locusts? What sin have we committed?"

At the same time, in Chang'an West City.

A monk who looked like an enlightened monk was sitting cross-legged on a high platform with his eyes closed, chanting Buddhist scriptures and counting the Buddhist beads in his hand.

The area was full of devout believers who had gathered together out of fear of the locust plague.

"Master, please save us!!"

"Master, when will these locusts pass?"

"Master, you are so compassionate. You must help us and save all living beings!"

Hearing the cries of these believers, the monk still turned a deaf ear and just focused on chanting.

It was not until the locusts in the sky flew onto the platform and onto his bald head that he slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the believers around him, and then chanted "Amitabha".

"Master! Master!"

A commoner saw the monk open his eyes and quickly shouted to him, "The locusts are coming!" "Ah!"

The monk sighed and said with compassion, "Ignorant people, stop calling them locusts! They are the Lord of Heaven!"

"They represent the Buddha's will to punish the world. Self-righteous people, wake up quickly! You are being deceived by the evil rulers!"

"Master! You must help us!"

When some people heard what the monk said, they were so scared that they fell to their knees.

Immediately afterwards, countless people also knelt down and kowtowed to the monk on the stage.

The monk was delighted upon seeing this, and continued to deceive the people around him, saying, "If I don't go to hell, who will? The Heavenly King has arrived, and he won't kill you all, as long as you repent! Don't be deceived by the evil rulers anymore, wake up quickly!"

"Humans are but a speck of dust in this world. Stop trying to defy Heaven. Stop being stubborn and naive. Aren't your sins enough?"

"Master! We were wrong!"

When the people around heard the monk's words, they began to repent and took out the coins they had on them and threw them into the merit box.

At this time, the young monk who was guarding the donation box shouted loudly: "Don't worry, everyone. Master Faya has prepared pure water for you. It can wash away your sins and cleanse your soul. Come and get it!"

"After you return, you must not eat rice once in the morning and evening. Otherwise, if you drink the Qingling Water, the Heavenly Lord will still punish you!"

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master, for saving us!"

Hearing the little monk's words, the people around were overjoyed and knelt down to worship Monk Faya on the high platform.

Before long, all the clear water on the platform was taken away by the people.

After watching them leave, Monk Faya smiled meaningfully and muttered "Amitabha" softly. He then slowly stood up from the platform and whispered to the young monk beside him, "Hui Neng, put away the merit box. Let's go back to the temple. There will be more devout believers in a few days. Remember to prepare the antidote!"

The young monk looked at the overflowing donation box and smiled. "Don't worry, Master. I've already made preparations. I guarantee they will believe in your Dharma!"

Upon hearing this, Monk Faya also smiled, and without saying a word, he took the little monk and left the West Market.

On the other side, the Prince's Mansion.

Li Chengqian was explaining the operation of the newspaper to Cai Kun of Xingtang Newspaper.

But he smiled and said, "President Cai, the newspaper's operation is very successful, but I think it's not enough, especially the content of the newspaper, which needs to be detailed one by one!"

"Then may I ask Your Highness, how should we go about detailing each one?" Cai Kun asked curiously.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "We can add a few more sections, such as "Into Science," "Sunny Politics," "Celebrity Interviews," "Ordinary People's Lives," "Anecdotes," and so on."

"If there's really no content, you can also serialize novels. In short, the content of the newspaper must be rich!"

"of course."

As he spoke, he changed the subject and continued, "Right now, the most important thing is sunshine politics, which must be arranged!"

Cai Kun was filled with surprise and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, do you mean to use newspapers to influence political affairs?"

"It's natural!"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Since the officials in the court are unwilling to donate grain, we can use the newspapers' public opinion to force them to donate grain!"

"But."

Just when Cai Kun was worried that Li Chengqian's actions would completely offend the ministers in the court, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! A locust plague has arrived!"

"Ok?"

Hearing the report outside the door, Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then stood up from his seat without saying a word and rushed out the door.

Soon, a sky full of locusts came into his sight, making his scalp tingle instantly.

"Damn it! Why did it come so soon?!"

Li Chengqian sighed in surprise and doubt, thinking that those places really could not resist the invasion of locust plagues!

If the locusts had been caught and killed once or twice locally, they would not have reached Chang'an so quickly.

"Cai Kun!"

Just as everyone was stunned by the locust plague in the sky, Li Chengqian reacted in time and said to Cai Kun beside him, "Adjust our strategy and change the content of the newspaper to 'Approaching Science'!"

"Yes!"

Cai Kun responded and left the Prince's Mansion without saying a word.

At this time, Sun Fujia came over, only to hear Li Chengqian say again: "The power of newspapers alone is not enough. Have people prepare leaflets and post them on the streets and alleys of Chang'an overnight!"

"As ordered!"

Sun Fujia also did as he was told without saying a word.

The next morning, as if a spring breeze had blown overnight, the streets and alleys blossomed like flowers.

When the people in Chang'an woke up, they found that the streets near their homes were covered with brightly colored flyers of medium size.

This made them curious and they all went forward to check it out.

Although not many of them could read, those who could read rushed forward and began to read on their own initiative.

Because it gives them a sense of superiority that makes them look great in front of others.

But then a literate commoner loudly read: "The Great Tang Pest List, everyone has the right to kill them!"

"Pest list?"

One of the people interrupted the other, puzzled, and asked, "What are pests?"

"Look, this paper says that any insect that harms people is a pest, just like flies and mosquitoes!"

When some people heard this, their eyes lit up and they couldn't help but ask curiously: "What kind of pests are written on it?"

"Let me see. Wow, it actually says locusts are pests!"

"What!?"

The people around were shocked.

Immediately, some people questioned, "How is this possible? Didn't the government say locusts were sacred insects? How come they've become pests now?"

"That's right! I heard from that master in the West Market yesterday that he was the Heavenly King who punishes the world!"

"What a bullshit Heavenly Lord! You believe that kind of nonsense! Locusts are pests that harm people!" The rational people sneered.

"Yes, I can understand what is written on the paper. It says that locusts are insects that destroy the homes and lives of ordinary people. They are harmful pests!" a scholar echoed.

"No, didn't you see the signature on this paper? It says Announcement from the Prince's Mansion! This is a notice issued by the Prince's Mansion!" People with eyesight saw the key at a glance.

When the people heard that it was a flyer from the Prince's Mansion, they immediately believed it and expressed their indignation.

"Damn it! I told you! I don't know what those officials in the court are thinking! Have they become stupid from reading so much?! They actually call a pest a divine insect!"

"Exactly! I should have kicked them a few more times that day! To prevent them from losing consciousness!"

"Hey, do you think we hit them too hard and made them stupid?!"

"Hahaha!"

The people burst into laughter.

Gradually, the topic began to change.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop laughing! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that if the locusts come, we have to kill them all together to prevent them from harming us any further!"

"Is it true? Did His Royal Highness really say that? Can locusts really be killed?"

"Why, you still don't believe His Royal Highness?"

"No, no, I don't disbelieve His Royal Highness. Even if His Royal Highness says locusts are edible, I still believe him!"

"Hahaha!"

Someone heard this and laughed again.

"You'd never believe it! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually said locusts are edible and even wrote a gourmet guide!"

"What!?"

When the people heard this, they were instantly paralyzed.

　[Please give me a monthly pass, I will update 10,000 words tomorrow! ]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)