Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 617: Dealing with Rat Problems

Chapter 617: Chapter 617: Dealing with Rat Problems

Lian Hua chuckled with a mischievous grin, revealing her tiny teeth, "As for the fields, hehe, if it’s during the harvest season, we smoke them out. We find a rat’s nest, burn damp firewood at the entrance, and fan the thick smoke in with a fan. Then, we place a cage at the entrance; as soon as they are smoked out, they run right into the cage."

She had played in the countryside with her mother and achieved glorious victories.

While her mother chatted with the tenant farmer uncles and aunties, she would go with the other little children to smoke out the rats, smoking one hole after another; it was extremely fun, and the most important thing was that her mother would praise her for doing this.

The Emperor tapped the table lightly, intrigued, "What if it’s not the harvest season?"

"Oh, that’s even simpler, just poison them!" Lian Hua naturally explained, "Poisoning the rats is the simplest method. Mix rat poison in with the grains, which you could toast first to make them more aromatic and appealing, then place it in the areas the rats frequently visit, and poison them."

In autumn, when the fields bore good crops, the rats had plenty of grain to eat from the fields, so poisoning didn’t work well. Moreover, the autumn fields were dry, which was suitable for smoking out the rats; the rice stalks were readily available, making it very easy to operate.

During other times, when rats couldn’t find much food in the fields, poisoning was the most effective, albeit at the expense of some grains.

For the rats at home, poisoning was also feasible, but the issue was not knowing where the dead rats would end up, and there was the fear of house pets accidentally consuming the poisoned rats or rat poison, which was a concern in her house for their dog, Wangcai.

The Emperor nodded, his face showing understanding, wishing that the matter of private soldiers could be as simple.

His lips curled into a smile, "Nannan knows quite a lot."

Listening to her was very interesting, no wonder when he first visited Canglan Court, he saw many vegetables and fruits planted there, some of which even he couldn’t name. She truly had hands-on experience with the farming in the fields, which was far more than what those ministers who only theorized about it could offer.

Lian Hua animatedly said, "Ah, it’s not much really, this is what others taught me when I was young. My lord, do you know which type of rat is the best to poison?"

Without waiting for the Emperor to answer, she continued, "It’s those that live in groups. When one rat tries the poisoned bait, others follow, and it’s the easiest time to poison them. However, rats that have been poisoned often will learn and stop being tricked if they see too many of their peers fall into the same trap, so it’s best to change the poisoned feed once in a while. But initially, it works best, especially when they haven’t found food elsewhere and are truly hungry."

Listening intently, the Emperor gradually lost his smile, repeating, "In groups, poison, remove the pests?"

"Exactly," Lian Hua leaned on her chin and sighed, "I often thought if there was a rat poison that acted a bit later, after all the rats were deceived and had eaten it, then took effect, that would be wonderful."

The Emperor had a flash of insight and suddenly felt enlightened.

He stood up abruptly, startling Lian Hua, who then stood up as well, "My lord, what’s the matter?"

He came to his senses and said directly, "Nannan, I can’t play chess with you anymore. I’ve thought of some matters that need attention."

Lian Hua felt relieved and waved her hand, "Oh, go ahead, lord. I’m quite tired anyway, I’ll rest for a while."

Perhaps His Majesty had thought of a way to solve a difficult issue. It was a good sign.

The Emperor hummed affirmatively and walked away, but just as he was about to reach the door, he remembered something and turned back, catching sight of Little Concubine still watching him.

His heart warmed, and he quickly turned back and walked toward her, bending over in her puzzled gaze and tenderly cupping her face, giving her several kisses.

After kissing her, he beamed with pride, exclaiming, "Nannan, how can you be so clever? You truly are my lucky star."

Although she didn’t know what had happened, His Majesty’s action pleased her greatly, and Lian Hua giggled, her cheeks flushing with joy. Modestly, she murmured, "Where, where, it’s just picking up wisdom from others."

The Emperor, finding her adorable, kissed her fervently several times before he finally set out.

Upon reaching the outside of Canglan Court, he instructed the person beside him, "Summon Chen Wei from the Internal Guard Bureau to see me immediately."

He needed to confirm the living conditions of these private soldiers in the village.

When Chen Wei reported, he mentioned that some of the private soldiers had intermarried with the locals and were scattered throughout the village.

To stay hidden, these private soldiers living among the civilians had indeed managed to conceal their presence until now, the benefits of which were clearly visible.

However, there were also significant drawbacks, one being that living comfortably among the civilians made it easy to let down their guard. They were gradually assimilated by civilian habits, losing the strict military discipline and vigor.

And after so many years had passed, far from the battlefield, how much of the military’s discipline could these scattered soldiers retain?

Perhaps even the protection of their water sources lacked the military’s vigilance. In such a case, it wouldn’t be impossible to deal with a rat infestation effortlessly.

One more thing, the Rebel Prince had no particularly outstanding generals by his side; the notable ones had all been executed. These scattered soldiers, if not led by a competent general, were just loose sand; no matter how good Xue Ping’s strategies, they were useless.

In the end, Xue Ping was merely a powerful official, lacking the talent to lead armies.

If it weren’t for the concern over the civilians, they could be annihilated on the spot.

The Emperor understood all this clearly. Now, having been inspired by Lian Hua, he entertained a bold idea. If feasible, it would resolve the greatest challenge...

Inside the Imperial Guard Prison.

Chen Wei looked at the young man with peach blossom eyes before him, uncertain. He couldn’t fathom this person.

When this young man arrived, following the Ancestral Master’s orders, he had told him that his Letter of Challenge was graciously accepted by the Ancestral Master.

However, contrary to expectations, the young man first beamed with joy, but then composed himself and inquired about the Guo family’s situation.

Having just returned, he wasn’t very clear about the Guo family’s situation, but their house had been raided as part of His Majesty’s direct command to capture them, which was publicly declared as a crackdown on private salt trading.

Without saying much, he simply stated two sentences about it. As for the matter with the Grain Transport Team, he didn’t say a word.

After hearing his explanation, the young man frowned and remained silent. It took him a while before he slowly said that since the Ancestral Master had not yet returned to the capital and the Letter of Challenge was already received, how could one be admitted into the Imperial Guard Prison.

Chen Wei was deeply startled, not expecting the young man to be so sharp.

Not many knew about the Ancestral Master leaving the capital, and even though the initial clues were provided by this man and another middle-aged man, the Ancestral Master never suggested any plan to leave in front of them.

Moreover, when the clues were provided, he and the Ancestral Master had met these two men. So, even if this man suspected the Ancestral Master had left the capital because of that incident, he wouldn’t have guessed that the absence of the Ancestral Master was the reason for his current presence here.

Moreover, he had only mentioned that the Letter of Challenge was accepted, hoping this man would lower his guard, thinking he could now enter the Internal Guard Bureau. However, this man instantly guessed that entry wasn’t so simple.