Disturbing the Harmony of Heaven and Earth

"Floods first, then drought?" Su Ziji scooped up a handful of soil, crumbled it, and examined it closely, sighing inwardly.

Just as he had expected, it was only May, yet the sun was already scorching. Throughout his journey through Shunan Prefecture, there had been no rain. If this weather continued, another severe drought would likely follow.

He studied the ground again. Seeing a farming tool nearby, he picked it up and turned over the soil, only to discover countless tiny holes like a honeycomb beneath it. The instant he saw them clearly, goosebumps rose all over him.

Those densely packed, overlapping layers inspired an instinctive revulsion. But to get a closer look, he had to endure the discomfort and turn over another patch of earth.

"This entire patch is full of them!" So many locust eggs were hidden beneath the soil that even Su Ziji, who had prepared himself for this, could not help being startled.

"Utter nonsense!" Just then, a man's angry rebuke sounded not far behind him. Su Ziji came back to himself, but rather than immediately looking to see who it was, he simply listened.

"Do you even know what this is? If you cannot recognize even this, how did you become officials, and whom are you serving? You sit in your offices every day, doing nothing but drinking tea and reading books. What do you call that? You're just frittering away your days!"

"If you all intend to muddle along like this, there's no need to stay in your offices and keep putting on airs. Aren't you tired of it? You might as well go straight home! At least you'd have more leisure and freedom!"

The voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man, and an official at that. Su Ziji stood and turned to look.