Chapter 361

"Frog Lord! Long time no see, your grace remains as radiant as the sun rising over morning clouds!"

The old frog, lotus leaf atop its head, clung to a giant rock in the pond, drooling at the crab-roe noodles in the beaver's hands—suddenly hearing a greeting, it turned its head left and right, only then noticing Liang Qu standing by the pond's edge; it immediately straightened its back and hid its webbed paws behind it.

Pretending to be a master.

The lotus leaf slid off its head; the old frog swatted it away and said coolly, "Liang Qing… it's been a long while. I heard from the old clam in the pond that you went to Huazhu County to manage flood control?"

Liang Qu sighed deeply: "I serve the court for mere two taels of silver—wherever disaster strikes, I go. Alas, my virtue is thin and my ability meager; I wish I could relieve the people's suffering."

At night, lying in my tent, I toss and turn, thinking of your noble virtue and exalted status, guiding the frog clan to flourish. Wherever I go, I am honored as a guest among all water creatures; frogs revere you, toads praise you—you are truly a celestial being of the lake."

The old frog lifted its head high, puffed out its white belly, and displayed its pure, rounded chin.

Absolutely right!

Your eye for talent remains as sharp as ever, Liang Qu!

But before he could reply, the old frog's peripheral vision caught sight of the iron pot beside Liang Qu and the giant beaver gobbling noisily, its tail slapping the ground—it grew anxious inside.

Wait, in the time it took to speak, half the bowl's gone?

Not even a scrap left?

The old frog opened its mouth but held back—just then, Liang Qu pointed at the pond and cut him off.

"Frog Lord, are you satisfied with the pond's expansion? Though I am stationed in Huazhu County, my heart remains in Pingyang—I have never forgotten the frog clan's grand ambition!"

"To seize every moment, before I departed for Huazhu County, I negotiated with the government, secured the land deed, arranged for craftsmen, and while there, I sent constant letters by messenger, maintaining steady communication with the builders—fully tracking every progress, ensuring the frog clan's dominion advances steadily!"

"Alas, I returned too hastily and did not bring those stacks of letters—it is truly a great regret."

"You've worked hard, Liang Qing. No letters needed—I know you are the frog clan's pillar! With your genius, our clan's domination of the Great Marsh, planting three thousand li of lotus, is but a matter of days!"

The old frog multitasked—mouth spouting polite words, eyes darting left and right; it gave a signal to the fat catfish in the pond.

The fat catfish wiped crab oil from its whiskers with its mouth, sucked the flavor twice, but didn't understand the hint—just blinked its fish eyes.

What, frog?

The old frog grew furious—this footless frog is utterly disrespectful!

Good food arrives, yet it doesn't even think to offer it first to the clan elders!

Frogs who hoard food shall be expelled from the frog clan!

Liang Qu, seeing the old frog's gaze, knew exactly what it was thinking.

Old Shell had told him the old frog came by every few days—he'd already rehearsed his speech.

"Frog Lord, are you puzzled why there are so many fish baskets and crabs in the pond? And what are all these beavers and river otters eating?"

Seeing Liang Qu finally reach the point, the old frog snapped to attention and, while no creature was watching, wiped the drool from its lips.

"Oh? I wasn't particularly curious, but since you mention it, I'd like to hear your explanation."

"This matter is long and complex."

Liang Qu's face darkened with sorrow as he began slowly.

"To obtain a land deed, official approval is mandatory—without it, the contract holds no legal force. The frog clan's settlement must be written in black and white, endorsed by the government—or else we're fooling ourselves!"

The old frog stared at the iron pot, nodding vigorously.

"Who knew that County Magistrate Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi was nothing but a hypocritical fraud? Handsome in appearance, renowned in reputation—yet he is a thoroughgoing corrupt official!"

"Every day he deceives his superiors and bullies his subordinates, committing rape, plunder, and every imaginable evil. He demands a hundred and eight dishes per meal—even his footbath must be a brand-new pomelo wood tub, just so he can inhale the fragrance when hot water pours in!"

"Seeing I was determined, he made an outrageous demand—openly demanded three thousand taels of silver as a bribe!"

"What!" The old frog's eyes bulged, "Three thousand taels?!"

"Precisely—three thousand taels! We had three precious fish total; one was used to buy the land, the other two were worth only two thousand—still a shortfall."

"In the end, unable to produce more fish, the dog magistrate learned I live by boat—he demanded a grand banquet of river crab and river shrimp to reward the flood-control officers. Hence what you see today!"

"Alas, the Great Shun has ruled only sixty years, yet under this second Son of Heaven, things are like this—how can I imagine what the third or fourth generation will bring?"

Liang Qu grieved bitterly, his every pore aching for the corruption of Shun's bureaucracy.

Since Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi couldn't hear him, he spun wild tales freely.

"The three precious fish you gave me could have expanded the pond by another mu—but now they're all inside that dog magistrate's belly!"

The giant beaver, head buried in its bowl, lifted it up and nodded vigorously.

That's right, the precious fish went into the dog's belly.

The dragonfish, gnawing on a crab claw, lifted its head at the word "dog," saw no one watching, and went back to chewing.

Thinking of his precious fish stolen by greed, delaying the frog clan's dominion, the old frog leapt and screamed in rage.

"Waaah! This is too much! Bring me my blade—I shall cut off that dog official's head today!"

The dragonfish, irritated, lifted its head—thought the old frog was just making noise, yelling "dog" for no reason.

It picked up the crab claw and moved to another spot to keep eating.

Liang Qu quickly restrained the old frog.

If the old frog went over and had Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi turn him into stir-fried frog, how would he explain to the fat catfish's big brother?

"Frog Lord, petty impatience ruins great plans! I fear not corrupt officials—I fear officials who aren't corrupt! For our clan to grow, we must unite every force we can!"

"Precisely because corrupt officials run rampant, our clan can expand onto land!"

"And I've learned that before next summer's plowing, Pingyang County will be upgraded to Pingyang Prefecture! That shameless magistrate knew this well—that's why he dared to demand such a price!"

The old frog seethed: "Unthinkable! Unthinkable! So… you agreed?"

"For the frog clan's future, I had no choice but to agree. My own hardship matters little—the frog clan's future is paramount!" Liang Qu declared solemnly. "But autumn crabs are so expensive! To prepare the banquet on time, the footless frog worked day and night, hunting in the Great Marsh—even suffered two thefts, nearly losing his life."

The fat catfish nodded repeatedly, pointing its fins to the swollen lump on the back of its head, then pressing its forehead—signaling it was dizzy from exhaustion.

It—the footless frog!

Has labored tirelessly for the frog clan!

The old frog saw clearly—the wound was clearly from a beating; its heart softened.

Never imagined such a small pond expansion carried so many twists and turns.

On land, the frog clan faces enemies everywhere—every step is agony!

The shores encircle the Great Marsh—our burden is heavy, our path long!

Thinking of this, the old frog suddenly felt too ashamed to ask for a taste.

Wait.

The old frog suddenly realized something was wrong—it looked down at the dragonfish gnawing the crab claw, the beaver licking its bowl…

Liang Qu immediately explained: "Since we're holding a crab banquet, of course we reserve a few portions for our own—benefits shouldn't all go to outsiders. Frog Lord, rest assured—I've already set aside your portion."

"This… isn't quite right…"

The old frog protested with its mouth, but its body already leapt onto the shore.

Liang Qu urged: "Such a grand banquet must be tasted and approved by the Frog Lord—taste it now, while the feast hasn't begun, so we can improve it!"

The old frog's webbed paws twitched eagerly, its white belly gurgling with hunger.

It had returned from the village's "Fine Frog" just this morning, sung two frog love songs—its belly was truly empty.

The old frog frowned, sighed: "I didn't intend to eat—it adds burden—but your words are wise! For the frog clan, every frog must contribute! Bring it quickly!"

When Liang Qu returned again…

Two large bowls, several tiers of steamer baskets, arranged in order, releasing a rich crab aroma into the autumn breeze.

Crab-roe soup dumplings, crab-roe wontons, crab-roe noodles—all present.

The old frog sat by the pond, grabbed a dumpling and shoved it into its mouth—its frog eyes widened; it lifted the entire steamer basket and dumped it all into its mouth.

There was soup inside!

Exquisite!

So satisfying!

The old frog gorged himself, face flushed, eyes bulging—making the fat catfish drool.

Liang Qu replaced the steamer basket, mixed the crab noodles: "Frog Lord, what do you think?"

"Mmm, delicious, delicious," the old frog mumbled. "I thought insect paste was the ultimate delicacy—never imagined something even more savory exists. You land-dwellers truly know how to enjoy life."

It had eaten crabs before—but all were hard-shelled, full of mud and sand—nothing like today's.

Seeing the old frog enjoying himself, Liang Qu seized the moment to make his request.

"Frog Lord, this pond expansion—I underestimated the difficulty. The frog clan's revival needs more support."

"Support! Support! Master, go ahead—old Frog fully backs you!"

This stingy old miser—pretending ignorance again!

Liang Qu cursed inwardly.

"Frog Lord, the footless frog's wound won't heal without precious fish!"

The old frog declared firmly: "Nonsense—no such wound exists."

Liang Qu flew into a rage, snatched the crab-roe dumpling from the old frog's hand, and held it high.

"Frog Lord, have you never heard of frogs who serve the clan, men who serve the clan, shedding blood and tears?

For the frog clan's revival, how can we be stingy?! To cling to one's life while pursuing great deeds, to forget righteousness for petty gain—have you forgotten?!"

The old frog lowered its head, its wrinkled face creasing, its round belly suddenly tasteless—the crab-roe dumpling in its paw lost all flavor…