Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

As soon as I finished my explanation, the princess jumped up from her seat and exclaimed.

“Oh! You’re talking about the anecdote of Emperor Taizong of Tang, aren’t you, Hero? The one where he swallowed locusts alive to alleviate the suffering of the people when they were plagued by an unexpected swarm? I’ve read about that before! Well, actually, I think someone read it to me.”

‘Wait, that was Emperor Taizong of Tang? I thought it was Solomon?’

The princess confidently claimed that the protagonist of the story I had mentioned was Emperor Taizong.

But honestly, what did it matter whether it was Solomon or Emperor Taizong?

As long as our interests aligned, that was all that mattered.

“Does it really matter? Whether you read it yourself or had it read to you? Right now, what’s important is that we help each other.”

“I suppose you’re right. I always believed that mutual understanding would help us. Ahaha.”

I had assumed the princess was a serious and composed person, but that must have been her formal demeanor. Judging by her current attitude, she was actually quite straightforward and lively.

Beaming, the princess praised me.

“Yes, that’s it! If someone swallows the insects alive and they disappear, it would definitely sway public opinion... It’s also a good way to report it to the court. Yes, I’ll have Bin-ah swallow a few! Hero, you truly have an extraordinary mind!”

“Well, I do hear that quite often. Haha.”

‘Wait a second. But wasn’t the governor supposed to be terminally ill?’

Caught up in the excitement with the princess, I suddenly remembered—wasn’t the governor suffering from a fatal disease?

I hesitated, feeling a little guilty about making a terminally ill man eat bugs, and asked carefully.

“But... isn’t the governor suffering from an incurable disease? Feeding an ill man insects seems a bit...”

The princess dismissed my concerns without much thought.

“Hmm... It should be fine. The Physician Immortal said there weren’t any specific foods he needed to avoid.”

“The Physician Immortal?”

I wasn’t worried about the bugs being classified as food, but what truly surprised me was hearing the term ‘Physician Immortal’ from the princess’s lips.

The Physician Immortal was known as one of the most skilled doctors in all of the Central Plains.

I had assumed the governor was on death’s door, simply waiting for his time to come, but from the way the princess spoke, it sounded like he had actually received treatment from the Physician Immortal. That was unexpected.

When I gave the princess a questioning look, she frowned and asked in a serious tone.

“What’s with that expression? You don’t actually think I took in a dying man as a fake consort and have just been waiting for him to keel over, do you?”

‘...Wasn’t that the case?’

That was exactly what I had assumed, but judging by her reaction, I was dead wrong.

The princess looked utterly dumbfounded as she continued.

“I might be obsessed with swords, but I’m not actually insane.”

She firmly denied it, but to be honest, she didn’t seem entirely sane to me either.

The difference between us was clear—

I was madly passionate about venomous creatures, but I wasn’t actually insane. Meanwhile, the princess was so obsessed with swords that it felt like something in her head was slightly unhinged.

Still, there was no reason to ruin a good relationship, so I quickly waved my hands in denial.

“N-no way. We haven’t spoken much, but I never thought you were that heartless, Your Highness. Not at all.”

The princess nodded in satisfaction before explaining their situation in more detail.

“That’s right. Bin-ah was originally someone who could have dropped dead at any moment. The Physician Immortal and the Herbal Immortal barely managed to extend his life with medicine. If he’s lucky, he might live for another five years, at most.”

She continued, her tone even and matter-of-fact.

“He was destined to live in poverty and die a lonely death. So, when I offered him a chance to enjoy luxury while he was still alive, he agreed to form a bond of loyalty with me.”

“Well, that makes sense then.”

Since the best doctors in the Central Plains had already treated him, a few insects wouldn’t make much of a difference. And now that I understood the details of their relationship, it felt less like an elaborate scheme and more like a way for him to at least experience some fulfillment before he died.

Honestly, if I were terminally ill and a princess promised me the ten deadliest poisons in existence, I probably wouldn’t turn down a fake marriage proposal either.

It was just a way to fulfill one last wish before death.

“Then, summon the governor and explain. Judging by the state of the Parasite Devourer, we’ll need to gather people and have him eat it by tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, understood!”

The princess rushed outside and shouted for the governor. Soon after, he hurried into the room, his face slightly out of breath.

When he looked at the princess, she nodded and said,

“The discussion went well. Fortunately, Hero understands me. From now on, we’re on the same side. He’s agreed to cooperate with us.”

“Oh! That’s wonderful. Then we have another retainer under Your Highness’s command. Hero, from now on, let’s serve the princess with our very lives. Though I may hold the title of governor, it’s all thanks to the princess. I come from humble origins myself, so feel free to treat me like an older brother.”

‘...Huh? What the hell?’

Hearing him talk about serving the princess with my life made me remember—

I had been so focused on turning Yeondu into Bi-cheon Shin-sa again that I had completely forgotten.

Helping the princess meant assisting with her fake marriage scheme.

And now I recalled why she had warned me at the beginning that I’d die if the secret got out.

If the emperor found out, I could very well lose my head.

‘Damn it... Every time venomous creatures are involved, I completely lose my sense of judgment... I really have no right to blame the princess for being unhinged...’

But what choice did I have?

The deal was already sealed.

As I resigned myself to my fate, the conversation between the two continued.

“Hero, did you suggest a good method to help the princess?”

“Yes, he came up with a brilliant plan.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate. Then what should we do?”

The governor’s face brightened with relief as he turned to me.

The princess, now adopting a solemn tone, declared,

“Bin-ah, with loyalty, swallow the bug.”

“...Excuse me?”

The governor’s expression froze in shock.

Rather than explaining further, the princess simply repeated the same phrase with a slight variation in meaning.

It seemed to be a habit of hers—saying words with similar sounds but different meanings to confuse people.

Just like how 出家 (leaving home to become a monk) and 出嫁 (leaving home to get married) had tripped people up before, now she was using ‘loyalty’ and ‘bug’ in the same sentence to mess with him.

‘See? I told you she wasn’t normal.’

***

The next day, in front of the government office, a crowd as thick as the swarm of lovebugs covering the ground gathered for a grand spectacle.

It wasn’t just a simple display of someone eating bugs. Instead, they had organized an elaborate ritual to the heavens.

In times of drought or natural disasters, people of this era often performed such rites, offering sacrifices to the heavens in hopes of divine intervention.

Rather than merely announcing his intentions to the people, the governor chose to hold a ritual. More people would gather this way—after all, once the ceremony was over, they would distribute food to the attendees.

Before the grand ceremonial altar, lavishly prepared offerings were displayed.

Among the buzzing insects, murmurs spread through the crowd.

“The governor is finally holding a ritual?”

“Well, they say this disaster happened because of the newly appointed governor, so he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“It’s not just because of the new governor. Whenever someone new takes office and a catastrophe like this occurs, they’re always blamed for it.”

“Hey, watch your mouth. There are government soldiers nearby. If you say something wrong, you might end up in trouble.”

As expected, the main topic of discussion among the people was that the governor was at fault for the infestation.

Soon, the ceremony began. The governor stepped forward, standing before the altar, and lit the incense. He spoke solemnly.

“I beseech the heavens! Why do you bring such suffering upon the people of Akyang!? Why must they be tormented so?”

Then, he performed a deep bow.

Rising, he raised his voice again, calling out to the heavens.

“I offer this ritual in hopes of appeasing your wrath. Please, grant us your mercy!”

“Is that it?”

“Will we get some food now?”

“We better hurry and get in line.”

People assumed the ritual would end there and were already looking forward to the food, even if it was covered in bug bits.

But then, the governor spoke again.

“But if my offering does not suffice to quell your anger... then I, Seo Bin-ak, Governor of Akyang, shall bear this burden alone!”

As he finished his declaration, he swung his hand, snatching up a dozen of the lovebugs swarming near the altar.

Then, without hesitation, he brought them to his mouth.

‘I only told him to eat one or two, but he’s really going all out for the main performance, huh?’

Lovebugs were insects with such acidic guts that they could corrode metal.

If one of them burst in his mouth, it would leave a sour taste.

Last night, during practice, he had struggled to eat even one. But now, in front of the crowd, he was shoving a dozen into his mouth at once.

I glanced at the princess. She was watching with a pleased smile, clearly satisfied with how things were playing out.

The plan was going smoothly.

However, at first, the crowd didn’t realize what the governor was doing.

They were standing too far away, and the lovebugs were small enough that it was hard to see whether he was actually eating them.

What was needed now?

A planted reaction.

Scattered among the crowd, I, Hwa-eun, my father-in-law, Seol Nui, and the sailors on our ship started shouting.

“T-the governor ate the black locusts!”

“The governor is eating them for the sake of the people!”

The murmurs quickly turned into a wave of shock and disbelief.

“H-he ate the black locusts?”

“N-no way. Why would he...?”

“I thought he was just some lucky bastard who married into nobility, but... he really cares about the people!?”

And so, two days passed.

By then, all the black locusts had died, their corpses scattered on the ground.

The mood in Akyang had shifted dramatically—not just a small ripple like at the ritual, but a complete turnaround.

The very people who had blamed the governor for this disaster now fell silent. Even those who had dismissed the act as foolish found themselves at a loss for words.

Instead, citizens began gathering in front of the government office, inquiring about the governor’s condition.

“The black locusts are all dead... Is the governor alright?”

“H-here, this is some Heshouwu I dug up in the mountains. Please give it to the governor.”

“This is Dong Quai. I don’t know if it will help, but...”

With the locusts gone, the people believed the governor had taken the wrath of the heavens upon himself.

And so, from the early morning, people arrived, bringing medicinal herbs they had gathered, offering them to the government office.

“I never expected this to work so well. I won’t forget this favor.”

One person was especially pleased with this outcome.

The princess emerged from the reception hall, smiling as if she could barely contain her joy.

“You must keep your promise to assist the Martial Alliance.”

“Of course. Not only will I grant permission for the troops to mobilize, but I will also ensure those bastards never set foot in the Central Plains again. If those hiding in Akyang turn out to be members of the Blood Cult, the emperor will be furious.”

The princess had no qualms about lying if it served her goals.

With everything going so well, she decided to bring up the matter of the Fire Carp.

“By the way, about the Fire Carp you mentioned before...”

“Oh! Right. Did you think I had forgotten? I’ve already made all the preparations.”

She took out a letter from her sleeve and slid it toward me.

“Go to Potaam and give this letter to my master. He will provide you with what you seek.”

“The Fire Carp is in Potaam?”

“Yes. In my correspondence with my master, he mentioned that a large Fire Carp resides in the mountain lake of Botasan, where Potaam is located.”

‘Potaam, huh? If I sail down the Yangtze, exit to the sea, and head toward Zhejiang, I can reach it relatively quickly.’

It was a bit far, but «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» if I traveled by ship, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

I nodded with a pleased expression.

“Thank you!”

“No, I should be thanking you. And since we now share a secret, let’s stay in touch.”

“You mean this secret?”

I thought that was the end of our business, that everything had been settled on mutually beneficial terms.

I was gathering my things, feeling quite satisfied, when—

“Oh! I almost forgot something.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

The princess smirked.

“The sacred peak of Botasan where the Fire Carp resides is off-limits to men. Only women can enter. You’ll have to disguise yourself as a woman.”

“...What?”

I stared at her in disbelief.

She continued, still smiling.

“I’ve already written a note about it for my master. Just make sure no one else catches you.”

“A... disguise?”

So now I had to crossdress for the sake of venomous creatures?

The path of martial arts and poison mastery in this world was truly perilous.

‘Maybe I should reconsider my hobbies...’