Chapter 7: Ma Zhou

Chapter 7: Ma Zhou

The ritual to invoke the gods had become a ritual to invoke the locusts. Li Tai saw clearly just how ferocious the locusts in the wild truly were.

As the swarms passed, the original green vegetation in the fields was devoured at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the newly sprouted weeds in the fields were chewed clean by the locusts' mandibles. Across the entire world, wherever the locusts passed, not a shred of greenery remained.

Witnessing this desperate scene, the commoners knelt before the statue of the Locust God, wailing in agony, many of them bowing their heads repeatedly against the statue. They chanted incessantly, "Great Locust God, please withdraw your divine power!" "Great Locust Immortal, please withdraw your divine power!"...

The commoners were ignorant and numb, but they knew exactly what would cost them their lives. To them, this renewed locust plague was a kick that had plunged them into the abyss.

The officials of the Court of Agriculture were equally lost. Logically, the Confucian classics they had studied taught them that natural disasters were caused by the monarch's lack of virtue. Yet, the current Sage Emperor had personally taken the lead in eating locusts, admitting his faults and humbly accepting advice—how could he be lacking in virtue? Moreover, building temples to the Locust God to negotiate for the cessation of the plague had been a recognized practice since ancient times. If even this failed, what else could be done?

At this moment, let alone the commoners, even the upright officials of the Court of Agriculture were bewildered to the point of trance. Their foundational beliefs were in violent conflict with reality. Though they were learned, when their knowledge crumbled, they were no better off than the ignorant commoners. They were completely at a loss when faced with the situation before them.

Li Tai tugged slightly on Zhao Yuankai's sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and whispered something in his ear. Zhao Yuankai’s eyes widened; he looked at the paralyzed Dou Jing, then at Li Tai, and shook his head. Li Tai did not waste words, simply waving his hand and saying, "Go quickly!"

Zhao Yuankai left, feeling a sense of relief as he escaped the stifling atmosphere. With a long sigh, he hurried to find craftsmen to carry out the order.

Li Tai turned his gaze to Dou Jing, who was slumped on the ground, and said, "The locust plague has returned. It seems the Locust God, in whom you placed your hopes, no longer protects the people of our Great Tang."

"Prince of Yue..." Hearing Li Tai’s words, Dou Jing wanted to argue, but he closed his mouth in resignation. The locusts had returned, and they had returned on the very day of the invocation ritual. There was no need to argue; his methods for controlling the locusts had failed, and anything else he said would be meaningless.

"Since the path chosen by the Minister of Agriculture is a dead end, we shall follow my path," Li Tai continued.

Dou Jing was stunned by Li Tai’s words. Was Li Tai trying to seize authority?

Zhao Yuankai returned to Li Tai’s side, holding an axe. Li Tai did not stand on ceremony; he lifted the axe with both hands, looked at the size of the Locust God's statue, and curled his lip. "Bring me a table!"

Zhao Yuankai had no objections and immediately moved a table over, placing it before Li Tai.

"Prince of Yue, what are you doing?" Kong Yingda asked, looking at Li Tai with a hint of horror.

"Can't you see?" Li Tai replied to Kong Yingda, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

As he spoke, Li Tai stepped onto the table Zhao Yuankai had set up, raised the axe, and struck the statue of the Locust God with all his might!

*Thud!*

The axe slammed into the neck of the statue, and the recoil nearly made Li Tai lose his footing.

"What are you doing, child? If you offend the Locust God, you will face dire consequences!" one of the kneeling commoners cried out.

"Oh! And then what?" Li Tai gripped the axe with both hands, his expression stern. "You all kneel before this so-called Locust God, but has he looked after you? Aren't you all still trapped by the locust plague, just waiting to die?!"

Upon hearing this, the commoners began to murmur. If even invoking the Locust God could not deal with the locusts, they truly had no idea what to do. With their limited knowledge, they were indeed at their wits' end.

"Prince of Yue, do not act recklessly; this is no small matter!" Kong Yingda, seeing the commoners moving from confusion toward despair, feared a riot and quickly urged, "Come down, and put the axe away!" He reached out his hands, but Zhao Yuankai blocked his path.

"Zhao Yuankai, now is not the time for sycophancy!" Kong Yingda roared at him.

Zhao Yuankai ignored him. He understood clearly that since he had thrown his lot in with Li Tai, he had to ensure Li Tai completed whatever he set out to do. Hesitation led to no future. Blocking Kong Yingda, Zhao Yuankai said, "Attendant, this is a matter for the Court of Agriculture; do you intend to interfere?"

"Zhao Yuankai, you sycophant! If this is not handled properly, it will lead to a riot. Can you bear that responsibility?" Kong Yingda retorted.

Hearing this, the somewhat timid Zhao Yuankai hesitated. Just then, a voice shouted from behind him.

"I can bear it!"

Li Tai looked at Kong Yingda and said, "My father is the Son of Heaven, and I am his grandson. Since the Locust God does not protect the people of our Great Tang, why should he enjoy the incense of our Middle Kingdom? The divine land of China does not support idle gods! From this day forward, this Locust God is a Locust Demon. Anyone who continues to worship the Locust Demon shall be treated as one!"

As he spoke, Li Tai raised the axe again and struck the head of the statue. He felt as if the axe had become lighter with his roar. With one strike, the locust head of the deity was severed by Li Tai. The head tumbled down, rolling on the ground in full view of everyone.

The commoners watched this scene, their minds buzzing, but they recalled Li Tai’s words. Li Tai was the son of the Sage Emperor, the Emperor was the Son of Heaven, and he was the grandson of Heaven. The Emperor had the right to appoint orthodox gods, and Li Tai had merely killed a god who refused to work... Was there a problem with that? It seemed there really wasn't! Shouldn't the Son of Heaven and his grandson kill gods who didn't do their jobs?

Kong Yingda was also momentarily dazed, for there was no better explanation than this. The Sage Emperor had not lost his virtue; the one who had lost virtue was the Locust Demon, who took the people's offerings but refused to work, continuing to let the locusts ravage the world. Thus, Li Tai killing the Locust Demon in the name of the grandson of Heaven to restore clarity to the world was perfectly reasonable. Whether he accepted this logic or not, the commoners certainly did. The only concern was whether Li Shizhen would hold them accountable. At the very least, the foundational theory of "Heaven-Human Resonance" that constrained the monarch remained intact.

Of course, there was still a major problem. Kong Yingda looked down at the kneeling commoners, his face grim. The plan to invoke the Locust God had failed; there had to be another plan to give the people hope, or the desperate commoners would erupt into chaos, blaming the lack of virtue in the Emperor and the arrogance of Li Tai.

At this moment, Li Tai spoke up: "Heaven’s movement is vigorous; a gentleman strives for self-improvement. People must ultimately rely on themselves, and you are no exception. Those who believe I can control the locusts, elect representatives from your villages, and we shall work together to resolve this plague. I cannot subdue the swarms already formed in May, but if we work together, we can suppress the plague in July and August!"

"Hea... Heaven's grandson, will there be another locust plague in July and August?" the commoners asked, their faces changing.

Li Tai calculated the time. Generally, locust eggs hatched in a cycle of two or three months. It was late May, nearly June; the timing was about right.

Li Tai said, "By early July at the earliest, or late August at the latest, the locusts will surely return. If you are willing to join hands with me to fight them, send your people to work with me. I guarantee we will suppress the next wave!"

The commoners were naturally skeptical. Even though Li Tai sounded authoritative and was the grandson of Heaven, he was, after all, only an eight-year-old child. How could they trust the words of a child? No matter how eloquently Li Tai spoke, the people felt no security.

Seeing them murmuring without anyone stepping forward, Li Tai frowned. Honestly, if he had known this would happen, he would have planted a few plants in the crowd. But this was an unexpected event; he hadn't anticipated the plague returning on the very day of the ritual. He had to seize the moment to persuade them.

"Your Highness," a refined young man in green robes spoke up, "if we go, will we be fed?"

"Three able-bodied men per village, with food and lodging provided!" Li Tai replied decisively.

Upon hearing this, the commoners were delighted. They didn't really believe Li Tai could solve the plague, but they knew there was no work to be done in the fields, and the young men were just consuming food at home. Letting them join Li Tai would save the village three rations, and those saved rations might keep six more people alive.

"We are willing! We are willing!" The commoners agreed one after another.

Li Tai was satisfied. The manpower for expanding the duck farm was solved! He looked for the young man who had first helped him out of the predicament, intending to make him a manager to show his gratitude. But looking up, he saw the man in green turning to leave, with the air of someone who "leaves after the deed is done, hiding his name and fame."

"Junior Minister Zhao, arrange for the registration of personnel. Prioritize those from reputable families who own land," Li Tai said to the Junior Minister of Agriculture beside him.

"Yes!" the Junior Minister replied immediately.

After entrusting the matter to him, Li Tai ran toward the departing man, calling out, "Young master in green! Young master in green! Please, wait a moment!"

The man stopped, turned, and looked at the approaching Li Tai with confusion. "Prince of Yue, are you calling me?"

"Why do you walk so fast, young master? You nearly made me lose track of you!" Li Tai panted.

"I am not from Chang'an, nor do I own land here. I am not the person the Prince of Yue needs," the man said.

"Ah..." Li Tai felt a shock. He looked up at the young man and asked, "Did you guess what I was going to do, and that is why you spoke up?"

The man's eyes were like stars. Though dressed in simple green, he stood with undeniable confidence. "The Prince of Yue advocates using ducks to control locusts; there have been rumors among the scholars of Chang'an. If scholars have indeed figured out how to hatch eggs artificially, then a large number of people are needed to manage the poultry. The real difficulty, however, lies in how to quickly transport these ducks to the villages when the locusts arrive. Therefore, the Prince of Yue used the failure of the ritual to recruit labor from the villages, so that they might transport the ducks to every corner. It is a brilliant strategy, with infinite benefits!"

Hearing this, Li Tai realized he had truly encountered a talent. He said sternly, "As you said, I recruited these people because they are the backbone of their villages. They are the ones most desperate to save their ancestral land, and they are the people of our Great Tang most in need of rescue. You possess great talent to see this. May I ask your name?"

"Ma Zhou from Qinghe. You may call me Ma the Green-Clad," the man said with great confidence.

Ma Zhou? He was actually Ma Zhou!

Li Tai's gaze changed instantly. If he had previously only wanted to make an acquaintance, he now wanted to secure Ma Zhou for himself.

Li Tai said decisively, "Master Ma, your insight is extraordinary, your judgment is unparalleled, and you possess the ability to foresee the future. Are you willing to serve as my aide, to help me fill the gaps and fight the locust plague? I would like to hire you as the Chief Clerk to the Prince of Yue to assist me!"

"Chief Clerk to the Prince of Yue, a sixth-rank official!" Ma Zhou was stunned. He hadn't expected Li Tai to offer such a high position right from the start.

"If you are not satisfied, know that positions above the sixth rank require the Emperor's personal appointment, and I do not have the direct authority. However, once we succeed in controlling the locusts, I will certainly recommend you for a full sixth-rank position!" Li Tai offered his best price.

Kidding aside, this was Ma Zhou! If he could truly win him over, he wouldn't have to fear Li Chengqian in the struggle for the throne! Even Zhangsun Wuji would have to be wary of Ma Zhou!

Ma Zhou looked at Li Tai with a mix of shock, joy, fear, and doubt. If Li Tai were the Crown Prince, he would have joined him without hesitation. The problem was that Li Tai was not the heir, which made Ma Zhou, a man of long-term vision, hesitant. He knew clearly that if he agreed now, he would be a member of Li Tai’s faction for the rest of his life. His future would be tied to Li Tai’s success or failure.

But following Li Tai offered an opportunity—especially since the locust control was currently the focus of the entire court. If he succeeded, he would certainly catch everyone's attention. Ma Zhou was confident he could stand out among the talents, but no one had ever truly put him in their pocket before! If he missed this chance, he would only be able to serve as a guest in General Chang He's household.

If he agreed to Li Tai, he would have an official post. It was impossible for Ma Zhou not to be tempted. Facing the choice Li Tai had placed before him, Ma Zhou could not help but hesitate.