In this whole process, there was no panic or haste typical reactions. Instead, it gave Wang Yang a feeling as if she belonged in the position of a state governor.

So when he saw Qiao Yan put down the seal and look towards him, he subconsciously straightened up a bit, feeling a sense of nervousness as if facing a superior’s review.

But then he immediately thought that he shouldn’t be showing such behavior.

As a prominent family in Jinyang, knowing about this matter, he should have taken action to prevent such usurpation of authority.

However, before he could speak up, he heard Qiao Yan ask in a casual tone, “Elder, don’t you want to remove the people of the Yuan family from the territory of Bingzhou?”

“…” Wang Yang’s words were stuck in his throat before he could speak.

That was too straightforward!

As the head of a local family in Bingzhou, he certainly didn’t want to see Zhang Yi, as a vanguard of the Yuan family from Runan, reaching out for power in Bingzhou.

However, in the months since Qiao Yan pointed out Zhang Yi’s identity to him, most of Zhang Yi’s actions were external arrangements, leaving him with no room to intervene.

Although he knew that if this matter succeeded, Zhang Yi would certainly gain fame, Wang Yang also knew that no matter how much internal strife there was, he absolutely could not make any foolish moves that would hinder dealing with the issues of the northern tribes.

Of course, this was also the unanimous understanding of the majority of people in Han Dynasty.

However, what he didn’t expect was that before Zhang Yi could achieve anything, the locust plague that appeared first disrupted his plans.

It also made him realize that Qiao Yan, whom he had originally wanted to further win over to sideline Zhang Yi, had managed to create a surprising turn of events at an incredible speed.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally asked, “Marquis, do you know that this matter is like walking on thin ice and may not yield good results?”

He said this was somewhat from his heart, because people with the courage of Qiao Yan were really few and far between.

Even Wang Yang couldn’t help but admire her.

At this moment, he felt more deeply than ever why Qiao Yan could rise to prominence during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and carve out a future amidst the chaos.

Qiao Yan only replied, “What is the good result? To look down on the suffering of the people, to relieve the difficulties of the locust plague, even if the sin is great, it should be offset by merits.

Moreover, Qiao Yan does not seek to truly replace a provincial governor, and the central government will not approve such a thing.

Since we only seek peace and prosperity, why worry about the lack of good results?”

Her words seemed grand, but Wang Yang heard a few hidden meanings from them.

As she said, even if she received the title of Marquis of Leping, it would be difficult for her to advance further.

Even her manipulation of Leping’s governance had to follow the procedures and first establish a Leping magistrate, according to the rules of the Han Dynasty, in order to issue decrees.

Although there was the precedent of Liu Hong appointing Ma Lun as the Chief Historian in Luoyang, the Chief Historian was not a position of real power.

At least, it was absolutely impossible for Qiao Yan to be appointed as the Provincial Governor of Bingzhou.

If that’s the case, she might as well leave this position to the aristocratic families of Bingzhou to weigh.

Although due to the Three Mutual Laws, this position could not be directly held by the sons and disciples of the Bingzhou aristocratic families, but the families had many clients and students, as well as people with deep connections, who could always find a suitable candidate to build momentum for them.

Could she benefit from this? Yes, she could!

Firstly, it would win the praise and gratitude of the people of Bingzhou.

This would undoubtedly change her status from a Marquis of Leping, arbitrarily enfeoffed by the court, into a county marquis recognized by more people in Bingzhou.

Even though she had not yet revealed her involvement in the production of the mulberry bark clothing, just relying on this reputation alone would make her travel in Bingzhou worry-free.

Secondly, it would be the support and friendship of the aristocratic families of Bingzhou, which was particularly important in the current situation of the deep-rooted aristocratic forces.

Thirdly, she did indeed have some minor conflicts with the Yuan family of Runan.

This was confirmed in Wang Yang’s previous investigation.

This also meant that expelling Zhang Yi from Bingzhou was also what Qiao Yan hoped to see.

His breathing quickened slightly.

If what Qiao Yan said was true, this was like a hero’s wine, a deal that would benefit both parties.

This time, the relationship between the two sides had somewhat reversed, with Qiao Yan leading the charge and the Wang family providing support from the side.

After he figured this out, a light and cheerful smile appeared on his face, perhaps with a few ambitions as well.

He immediately clasped his hands and replied, “Marquis Qiao is righteous. If you can truly pacify the locust plague, it will be a great fortune for Bingzhou.

The Wang family is willing to follow Marquis Qiao’s arrangements and contribute to the efforts.”

Qiao Yan smiled knowingly and replied, “Thank you for your assistance.”

With the support of the Wang family, Qiao Yan’s operation to hunt and prevent the locusts from breeding in this area naturally proceeded more smoothly.

One very obvious factor was leading by example.

After the locust-hunting notices were posted, Qiao Yan said in them that if the crops were lost, there would only be death, so it was better to come and kill the locusts.

However, to make the people, who had regarded locusts as gods for decades, believe this change was possible, there was still some resistance.

But with many aristocratic families in Taiyuan responding to the proclamation of “the fault lies with us” issued by the Wang family in Jinyang, those who had been hesitant and watching also followed suit.

The second directive issued by the provincial government drove them even more.

Qiao Yan unhesitatingly implemented the directive to exchange food for locusts and locust eggs throughout Bingzhou.

The locusts that came from the Three Adjuncts would lay eggs in the dry fields, with a hatching time of only twenty to thirty days.

If these newly hatched locusts were allowed to further spread the scale of the locust plague, it would be tantamount to a disaster for Bingzhou.

At this point, it was too late to do anything like overturning the dragon bones or making moves to divert water for irrigation.

The priority was to exterminate the locust eggs and the mature locusts passing through.

Fortunately, the granaries in Jinyang City were indeed abundant.

The fifty thousand stones of grain previously sent to Leping accounted for less than ten percent of the total stockpile.

There was more than enough grain available for the exchange for locust eggs.

For counties with insufficient grain, they could easily redistribute among each other at this time to ensure the granaries were full.

The subsequent actions of burying and burning also ignited a frenzy throughout Bingzhou.

Under the policy of full-scale locust hunting, the people who had been panicked by the discovery of locusts in their fields now had only one thought in their minds—

They needed to catch more locusts to exchange for enough grain to make up for their losses.

Qiao Yan looked up at the sky.

Since locusts could fly at an altitude of kilometers during mass migration, there were still occasional black dots passing overhead in Jinyang.

However, if they landed, they would only fall into fishnets or pits.

The people of Bingzhou, known for their martial prowess, using their energy to eradicate locusts truly surprised Qiao Yan.

Thinking of the scene she had seen outside Jinyang City yesterday, she couldn’t help but smile.

The system was surprised by her boldness before, and now it was quite pleased with her.

But before it could be pleased for more than a moment, it heard Qiao Yan ask, “If I help the emperor eradicate local pests, can this also be considered the work of a strategist?”