The news of Concubine Wen’s pregnancy quickly reached the inner chambers.
Emperor Ren hurried out and, picking up Concubine Wen, was about to escort her to her palace. The Empress Dowager gnashed her teeth, but there was nothing she could do now.
Punish her?
What would happen to the child in her womb then?
But if she wasn't punished?
Where would the Empress and the Empress Dowager’s authority be upheld?
For a moment, they were in a difficult predicament.
The old wet nurse by her side dared not speak casually, only standing quietly. Meanwhile, inside the inner chambers, the Empress was still weeping uncontrollably, her sobs moving anyone who heard them.
Upon returning to her palace, Concubine Wen rested for a while before waking.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Emperor Ren sitting by the bed, looking at her with excitement.
She was a little bewildered. Wasn't she supposed to be beaten? How did she end up back in her palace?
"Your Majesty..."
"Lie down quickly. How can you not take good care of yourself when you are pregnant? What if the dragon fetus is harmed?"
"Dragon fetus?"
Concubine Wen lowered her head and touched her still flat stomach. So, the child in her womb had saved her life?
Thinking of this, she was truly happy for herself.
Both children had come at such opportune moments. She already had a beloved second prince, and if she were to have another prince, the balance of power in the harem would be uncertain.
Although the Empress now held the first prince, he was not very intelligent, far inferior to her second prince. If he were to accidentally follow in his younger brother's footsteps, it would be hard to say.
Thinking of this, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
However, she still had to feign worry and defend herself a little more.
"This concubine truly did not know. If I had known, I would never have obstructed the Empress's palace servants. This concubine truly only wished for Your Majesty to rest a little longer. Now... it is all this concubine's fault."
As she spoke, she wept sadly. Emperor Ren naturally felt the pain of losing a son. But at this moment, with Concubine Wen carrying another child, who might also be a son, it could offer him some solace. Thus, he spoke to comfort her.
"It's alright. I know what you mean. You must be more careful in your actions from now on. The Empress is still the Empress, and it is truly difficult for her to have lost the third prince. You must behave yourself these days, understand?"
"Even if Your Majesty does not say it, this concubine knows. I will not dare to be arrogant due to your favor again."
As she spoke, she snuggled into Emperor Ren's embrace. Her charming demeanor made Emperor Ren’s heart flutter.
If he hadn't just lost a son, his thoughts might have strayed again.
Soon, the news of the third prince's death spread throughout the Great Jin. Prince Ding and his wife, who were far away in Jinling City, also received the news.
As for this, Divine Doctor Zhang was not surprised.
He had once seen the third prince from afar and felt that he was likely nearing his end. He hadn't expected that he would indeed die so young. The imperial family was truly a place that devoured people without spitting out bones, which was terrifying.
When Feng Jinyao heard the news, she also felt it was a great pity.
Young children were innocent. They could have lived happily in this world, but instead, they were born into royalty, destined to lie in the earth at such a young age.
As if sensing her emotions, Prince Ding, Xiao Tingyi, walked to her side, reached out, and touched her swelling belly, saying,
"I will not let anything happen to you."
These words were like a calming pill, bringing her peace.
Feng Jinyao also nodded. She had never doubted his words.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. This consort will take good care of myself and the child. However, there is something I need to trouble Your Highness with."
"What is it?"
Feng Jinyao handed over the letter sent by her maternal uncle's wife, Madam Lin. After reading it, Xiao Tingyi quickly understood and said after a pause.
"This is not difficult. Yang Xu's wife is from Shuzhou, and she likely has many connections with the Wen family. We can inquire with her, and perhaps we can find out."
Hearing this, Feng Jinyao felt much relieved.
She just had to wait for the news from the southwest.
Looking at Xiao Tingyi's expression, which had not relaxed since her second brother's last visit, Feng Jinyao asked,
"Is the locust plague difficult to resolve?"
"Yes, the locusts are moving too fast. We thought it would take a month for them to reach Liangzhe, but it has been less than half a month, and the counties bordering Zhongzhou are already suffering."
The people of Liangzhe were now rushing to harvest their grain. However, with the already meager harvest, the locusts had only made matters worse.
Even with the combined efforts of the Chi family, the Min family, and those wealthy merchants, they could only alleviate the situation temporarily, not permanently.
If the common people went hungry, it would surely lead to unrest.
Would the court, which had finally calmed down, not be thrown into chaos again?
Feng Jinyao could not bear to see Xiao Tingyi so worried, so she told him about the method her second sister-in-law was preparing.
Xiao Tingyi's brow furrowed even more deeply, as if considering the feasibility of the matter.
"If it were only up to the officials, it would be impossible to eradicate them completely. But if all the common people participated, it is a good idea."
For the common people to participate, sufficient preparations would be necessary.
First, to overcome their fear of the locust army, and second, that the locusts, after being fried, could indeed fill their stomachs, perhaps then they would gain their acceptance and participation.
The latter was easier to handle, but the former was somewhat difficult.
"Your Highness, I once saw beekeepers. The gauze nets they wear can shield even small bees, perhaps they can withstand the locusts."
Hearing this, Xiao Tingyi's eyes lit up.
He immediately sent people to find the beekeepers and examine their gauze nets.
As expected, wearing these things, not to mention anything else, made them feel much more comfortable psychologically.
So, he ordered the accelerated production of these gauze nets.
Some were for people to wear, and some were for catching locusts.
Meanwhile, Xu Mingyue researched the matter further and consulted many common people in the fields. They all said that in times of famine, they had eaten live insects, let alone fried ones.
Thus, this method was implemented on a small scale in a certain county.
Unexpectedly, the results were remarkably good. The fried locusts, seasoned with salt and chili powder, were incredibly fragrant and crispy.
Although their appearance was somewhat terrifying, when one was starving, what did the appearance of food matter? As long as it could fill one's stomach, it was fine.
Therefore, once the method proved feasible, it was widely promoted in the heavily affected areas.
Combined with the pre-prepared gauze nets, the locust plague, which had once instilled fear, was greatly alleviated.
The news soon reached the capital. Emperor Ren greatly praised Feng Jinlin and his wife for devising this method.
"Hahaha, as expected of Elder Xu's granddaughter and grandson-in-law! Such a beneficial act for the country and its people is truly a brilliant idea that only they could conceive."
The officials standing below were naturally happy to flatter him.
The Feng family was currently in a favorable position, so no one would dare to pour cold water on their achievements.