Walking on the earth was like treading on a black carpet, while soaring through the skies resembled a demonic cloud.

"Your Majesty treats the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yue thus. Who knows if they can comprehend your profound intentions?" Du Ruhui's face was haggard. Having overworked himself in his early years, his vitality was now severely depleted, leaving even the imperial physicians helpless and able only to do their best to regulate his constitution.

"Whether they understand or not is unimportant. Truly, I harbor such hatred for Cai Cong. Why was he born twenty years too late? Had he been born twenty years earlier, why would my own brothers have needed to slaughter one another?" Li Shimin said with sorrow. Both of his sons were intelligent, bearing an exact resemblance to him in their childhood. Li Chengqian was like his eldest uncle, appearing like a born politician who mastered government affairs with exceptional speed.

Meanwhile, although Li Tai had yet to fully reveal his ambitions, certain actions of his were so strikingly similar to Li Shimin's own rigid demeanor in his youth.

Du Ruhui remained silent. The aged ruler was merely venting his emotions; he required no one to guide him or share his grief.

"Keming! I know why you have come, but I require you to properly recuperate. I am truly terrified of Cai Cong's words coming true—that would be equivalent to severing one of my own arms!"

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Your Majesty's immense grace. Yet, the matter of the locust plague still demands my management. Cai Cong is a man prone to slaughter, while Xuanling has always maintained a reverence for the plague; neither approach is sufficient. Furthermore, there are local customs and traditions; certain matters cannot be resolved merely through official titles. Therefore, this old servant implores Your Majesty to grant me permission to govern the locust plague!"

"Keming! My heart cannot bear it! I have heard that your sons even went so far as to storm the Chang'an Marquis's estate with the intent to burn it down. Had Cai Cong not exercised restraint, that boy of yours might well have been buried by now."

"Descendants have their own fortunes. This old servant raised them and taught them the principles of human conduct, and that is sufficient. As for whether they amount to anything, that remains entirely up to them." Du Ruhui said with a chuckle. That very night, he too had broken out in a cold sweat. Cai Cong could set fire to someone else's house with impunity, but trying to set fire to his was quite another matter.

"Then I shall appoint you to take charge of the grain distribution for disaster relief. Cai Cong was ultimately a step too late; countless fertile fields have been chewed clean. The Magistrate of Baoji has memorialized that the ground looks like a black carpet while the sky resembles demonic clouds. The sound is like a funeral bell, and flowers, grass, and trees are devoured in an instant. The mortal realm is in peril!"

"These locust swarms must be eradicated before they mature, otherwise the entire Guanzhong region will be in mortal danger." Du Ruhui said gravely. The larvae were already this terrifying; if they grew into adult insects, would they not consume human flesh as well?

"Xuanling will handle that matter. What I fear is that amidst this natural disaster, there may be those hoarding grain with malicious intent. Keming, you are resolute and fearless, so this task falls to you. Furthermore... send men to keep watch on Cai Cong. His recent movements have been somewhat large, and I wish to know what he intends to do."

"That is rather strange. Who does not know that the Marquis of Chang'an is closest to Your Majesty? If there is any matter, why not simply ask him directly?" Du Ruhui said with a smile.

Li Shimin retorted with annoyance, "Closest, my foot! That brat is closest to the Empress. To think I have cherished him so; his conscience has truly been eaten by dogs."

"Heh heh... If Cai Cong's biological father and younger sister had not been thoroughly investigated, this old servant would truly have suspected that he was Your Majesty's..."

"You say that, but I myself sometimes wonder if he might be. Otherwise, why would this brat feel such a natural affinity with the imperial family?" Li Shimin asked with perplexity. Du Ruhui let out a low chuckle and did not take up the thread.

He was certain of only one thing: Cai Cong was neither of the Wen faction nor the Wu faction. He was, through and through, a close minister to the Son of Heaven, and everything he did served the interests of the emperor.

One need only look at how many people wished to consume Cai Cong's flesh and drink his blood after seeing the immense benefits the imperial family gained from the divine descent to understand.

Du Ruhui said nothing more, and Li Shimin was not angered. With little time left to live, striving this desperately for Li Shimin was merely driven by the hope of securing a favorable official career for his descendants.

Stepping out of the imperial palace, Du Ruhui found the bright sunlight dazzlingly harsh, inducing a wave of vertigo. He wondered how many more times he would be able to witness such brilliant light.

"Master, shall we return to the estate?"

"No, go to the Department of State Affairs." Du Ruhui forced himself to maintain his spirit as he gave the order. Normally, at this hour, he would return home to rest for half an hour, but today he truly had no leisure for it.

With a single remark from Fang Xuanling that the entire Department of State Affairs would render its utmost assistance, everyone had been dragged into the quagmire. While everyone hoped to use this opportunity to weaken the imperial power, they were now forced to wholeheartedly elevate Li Shimin's stature in the hearts of the common people, leaving them with grievances they could not voice.

Along the dust-covered road, a swarm of locusts marched with halting steps, occasionally vibrating their wings to leap onto tender blades of grass and devour them. A desolate atmosphere permeated the air. Elderly farmers had set up sacrificial altars laden with offerings, while men, women, and children of the entire village prostrated themselves upon the ground.

O Heavens! Is there no place where we have failed to show you reverence? Why do you refuse to accept our offerings? Why do these locusts continue to devour our crops without cease?

Their hearts were filled with utter bewilderment. Insects that had once been harmless had now transformed into demons, driving them toward a desperate end. Some farmers, trembling with anxiety, recalled days past when they had inadvertently crushed locusts underfoot, wondering if their own actions had brought about this present scene.

They thought far too highly of themselves, believing that the heavens would take note of their playful acts, and thus they kowtowed with even greater remorse, their brows bleeding yet refusing to stop.

A single horse and rider galloped from afar. The elderly farmer spotted him from a distance, and before he could utter a cry, he watched as the horse trampled the locusts on the road into a bloody pulp, charging straight toward them without slowing its pace.

"Stop him! He dares to slaughter the Locust God; he will bring ruin upon us all!" the old farmer cried out in alarm and anger. Those kneeling on the ground in nervous dread, as if granted a chance at redemption, rose with indignant expressions, brandishing carrying poles and hoes to block the path of the horse.

Before the rider could comprehend what was happening, he was dragged from his saddle by the enraged farmers. A hard carrying pole struck him squarely on the head, sending stars dancing before his eyes. Before he could speak, a flurry of wooden staves, clubs, and fists rained down upon him like a storm.

"Beat him! Beat him fiercely! It is precisely men like this who have caused the Locust God to rage and visit punishment upon us!" the old farmer shrieked at the top of his lungs, defying imagination how such an aged body could retain such vigorous breath.

Within moments, the rider crumpled to the ground, neither drawing breath nor exhaling. A massive gash had been torn into his forehead, from which fresh blood continuously gushed. At this point, even a twitch had become an extravagant hope.

"Old Uncle, it seems we've beaten the man to death." Someone touched the rider's nose, discovered the absence of breath, and retreated two steps in fright as he spoke.

"I told you to strike a few blows, why did you have to go and beat him to death?" The old farmer panicked as well. Glaring at the pool of blood, he stamped his feet and tried to shirk responsibility.

"Old Uncle, we're finished. The man we beat to death is an imperial runner. Look, he still has official documents from the yamen on him; they seem to be meant for our county." Someone rummaged through the dead man's garments, happily fished out a few pieces of broken silver to tuck into his own bosom, and then pulled out a blood-stained official document, collapsing to the ground in terror.

He could not read other characters, but the name of their county he recognized well enough. Upon entering the city gates one would see the county's name, and after long acquaintance, those characters had become familiar.

"What is to be done? What is to be done? Si Xiu, you are a literate man, come quickly and see what is written here!" The old farmer shouted toward a youth who had been standing aloof at a distance. The youth walked over and slowly stated, "Regardless of what is written, murdering an imperial runner is a capital offense. Once discovered, it will cost us our heads to pay for his life. This matter has nothing to do with me, and I will not meddle in it."

"Scoundrel! We are all of the same clan and share the same bloodline, yet such words pass your lips?"

"Otherwise, what does Old Uncle expect me to say? You have killed a man, and when the authorities investigate later, it will inevitably lead to an execution at the vegetable market. You surely cannot expect to drag me down with you?"