After discussing it, the group went back to their rooms to rest.

Li Qiji cheerfully took Guan Zhiyue's hand and walked towards the private room on the second floor.

Before they started dating, they always slept together. Now that they're dating, it's perfectly reasonable and normal for them to sleep together from time to time.

Guan Zhiyue glanced at her hand, which was being held tightly by the large hand. She struggled a few times but couldn't break free, so she had no choice but to give up and obediently followed Li Qiji back into the room.

"Yue'er, let's go to bed soon, after all, we still have to head to Sihuang Prefecture tomorrow," Li Qiji said.

Guan Zhiyue pushed Li Qiji and said, "Let me tell you, although I agreed to try it with you, I haven't agreed to consummate our marriage yet. You better behave yourself."

Li Qiji, like a schoolchild being taught, quickly lowered his head, not daring to look Guan Zhiyue in the eye, and said, "Yes, Madam is right. After all, I am still in the probationary period! I will certainly not act rashly. Madam can rest assured."

Seeing this, Guan Zhiyue stopped talking and looked at Li Qiji, saying, "Then let's go to bed!"

Upon receiving the order, Li Qiji bent down, picked up Guan Zhiyue, and carried her to the large bed. Guan Zhiyue was startled by the sudden princess carry and punched Li Qiji, saying, "What are you doing? Put me down right now!"

After gently placing Guan Zhiyue on the bed, Li Qiji said with a smile, "I'm not doing anything, just helping my wife to sleep!"

Guan Zhiyue blushed with embarrassment after hearing Li Qiji's words. "Who needs you to serve me!"

Pooh!

Li Qiji didn't tease her. He covered her with the blanket, turned over and lay down, pulled Guan Zhiyue into his arms, and gently kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, my queen."

Then he lay flat on the bed, and with his powerful straddle, he made Guan Zhiyue curl up like a quail. What was all this about?!

Nothing more was said that night!

-------

The next morning.

When Guan Zhiyue woke up, she saw Li Qiji propping his head up and staring at her intently!

I felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, while the wolf staring at me looked like it wanted to tear me apart and devour me whole.

"My wife, you're awake! Did you sleep well last night?" Li Qiji asked.

Guan Zhiyue swallowed hard. What's going on so early in the morning? Is this how you use the "Peerless Beauty" skill? She felt so intoxicated!

"Good, good, it couldn't be better!" Guan Zhiyue said, trembling.

Li Qiji smiled and said, "Yes, I slept very well last night too."

Guan Zhiyue turned over, facing away from Li Qiji, and said, "In that case, Your Majesty, please get up first! Aren't we heading to Sihuang Prefecture today?"

Li Qiji hugged Guan Zhiyue from behind, a bear hug, looking her up and down tightly. His magnetic yet husky voice rang in Guan Zhiyue's ears, "But, your husband wants to spend a little more time with you, my wife."

Guan Zhiyue shifted her body and shoved Li Qiji, saying, "Your Majesty should still consider the people of the world your responsibility. The locusts in Sihuang Prefecture have delayed us for several days because of our affairs. The sooner we set off, the better!"

Li Qiji took a deep breath, stopped teasing Guan Zhiyue, leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then released Guan Zhiyue, got out of bed, picked up the clothes on the rack, and started putting them on one by one.

Turning his head to look at Guan Zhiyue, he said, "Empress, would you like me to help you undress?"

Guan Zhiyue was startled and quickly sat up in bed, saying, "Your Majesty, I won't trouble you. I can dress myself."

Li Qiji didn't say anything. He got dressed and strode out first, because he was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would explode and die.

——

Sihuangzhou.

The group hurried to Sihuang Prefecture. At that moment, the entire Sihuang Prefecture was barren as far as the eye could see. Even the straw on the roofs of some farmhouses had been completely eaten away. There was nothing left, let alone a single green plant.

"Holy crap, are these locusts really this horde?" Ji Wu exclaimed, blinking.

This is absolutely shocking! What is all this?!

"This is nothing short of devastation!" Even though Guan Zhiyue knew that locusts could cause immense harm, this was her first serious encounter with them, and she was still quite shocked.

This is no place for a human being to live. These things are so cruel and abhorrent!

"Young lady, look at that tree stump, there are still swarms of locusts on it!" Guan Chengzhuo pointed to the tree stump over there.

Guan Zhiyue looked in the direction Guan Chengzhuo was pointing and saw that the locusts were carrying each other on their backs and gnawing on the tree trunk!

"It's truly a case of locusts sweeping across the land, leaving not a single blade of grass alive!"

Looking at everything before him, Li Qiji felt truly heartbroken to be the emperor. He wondered how he could possibly deal with all this, watching his people's homes being ravaged by these beasts.

Fortunately, I came in person this time and saw the situation on the ground. If I hadn't come, would I have never known how much of a failure I was as an emperor?

Guan Zhiyue took a deep breath and said, "Let's go into the city first! We'll find a spot to lure all the locusts there; only then can we wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"Your Majesty, is there anything we need to prepare?" Bilian asked from the side.

Guan Zhiyue thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have any fishing nets?"

Li Qiji said, "Jiwu, assist the Empress in preparing the necessary items for catching locusts. Minister Su and Minister Guan, come with me for a walk!"

Guan Zhiyue didn't say anything. After all, no one was feeling good right now, especially after seeing all the grain along the way that had been ruined. The people's harvest was already bad, and now they had encountered such a terrible misfortune.

The people have truly been displaced!

Locusts appeared wherever there was vegetation, including the flowers, plants and trees cultivated in the homes of wealthy families. None were spared; they all fell into the mouths of the locusts and became their food.

Guan Zhiyue had a large pot set up and a large wooden bucket brought over. She caught the locusts near a river, washed them in the river, drained them, and then fried them in oil.

"Your Majesty, locusts are coming! Quickly lie down!" Ji Wu shouted loudly.

Not far away, a swarm of locusts flew in. Ji Wu and the other guards pulled the fishing net and caught all the locusts.

They then threw the locusts into the water, and several people took basins to pick out all the small, tender locusts, and poured them into the oil in batches to fry.

Soon, the aroma of roasting filled everyone's nostrils. One pot contained tender locusts for people to eat, while the other pot contained older locusts for chickens, ducks, and geese.

Ji Wu stared at the golden-brown locusts in the pot, blinking his eyes, but he didn't dare to touch them. Guan Zhiyue reached out, picked one up, put it in her mouth, and chewed it with relish, nodding with satisfaction, "Not bad, it's quite fragrant."

"Bilian, you should try it! Jiwu, you should eat some too!" Guan Zhiyue called out to everyone. Everyone looked at each other, hesitant to take a bite, wondering if this stuff was edible.

Guan Zhiyue looked at them and said, "Eat up. You'll get plenty of meat, and you'll live a good life."

"Oh my, it's so crunchy, it's absolutely delicious!"

Bilian mustered her courage, reached out and grabbed one of the "death-defying" ones, put it in her mouth, and instantly found it quite good, with a crispy and fragrant taste.