Chapter 62: Farming in the Fields.

After hearing Chen Pingping's answer, Emperor Qing was not surprised at all. He said quietly, "If one day he threatens the royal family, I will deal with him. By the way, is Old Five in Kyoto now?"

Chen Pingping did not hide anything and answered truthfully: "Yes, I just guessed that Master Wuzhu was in Beijing."

All of this became clear. Emperor Qing seemed to be overworked. He gently rubbed his brow and said, "Let's deal with the matter between the Princess and Li An for now. As for Fan Xian, the children will naturally have their own destiny. How far they can grow up depends on themselves."

"Yes." Chen Pingping bowed. His Majesty had already made a summary, so there was nothing more to say. "I'll take my leave!"

Emperor Qing waved his sleeves, and a maid came up and pushed Chen Pingping's wheelchair out of the palace.

Emperor Qing narrowed his eyes and stared at the dark brown wheelchair for a long time as he watched it go farther and farther away. "How many things are you hiding from me?" Emperor Qing pondered.

He did not doubt Chen Pingping's loyalty, but he had deep doubts about his actions.

After Chen Pingping left the palace, he got on his carriage and slowly headed towards the East City District where the Supervisory Council was located. However, when it reached a secluded place, the carriage suddenly turned around and drove towards a small alley, until it met another carriage and slowly stopped.

"You are more skillful than me! While I am away from Kyoto, bring Fan Xian to Kyoto and persuade His Majesty to find a good marriage for your son!" Chen Pingping said with a forced smile, his words full of annoyance.

When Fan Jian heard this, he was not nervous at all. They had been good friends for many years and they both cared about Fan Xian very much. It was just that they had different ideas and could not come to an agreement. They stopped him here today just to make things clear.

"Humph, for Xian'er's lifelong peace, I can only do this!" Seeing Chen Pingping getting angry, Fan Jian said with a smile.

"What's there to be happy about with a pile of filthy money? If you spend your life just seeking wealth and fame, it will all be in vain in the end!"

Fan Jian shook his head and said, "Of course I will protect him! As for you wanting Xian'er to take over the Supervisory Council, that would be putting him at the center of the storm!"

Chen Pingping sneered and said, "Wealth without power is just a tree without roots. You can protect him, but can you protect him forever? Listen to my advice and go to His Majesty to cancel this marriage. It will be a good thing for you, me, and Fan Xian!"

The two of them argued for a while, and gradually they got really angry. It took a long time for them to calm down. They both sighed, thinking that neither of them could convince the other. After looking at each other coldly, they pulled down the curtains and drove away from the alley in two different directions, as if their paths had always been different.

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On a farm outside Kyoto, Li An and his disciples were planting crops in the fields.

Apart from his own disciples, most of the people there were children from poor families in the academy. As for the children of the powerful and wealthy, they did not come because of their status.

Many students also had doubts about going out of the city to plant crops. However, their teachers said that this was a practical class, and they called it a practice for the purpose of learning agricultural theories, so that these students could farm peacefully.

As for the students in his own courtyard, they did not ask too many questions. In short, they just did whatever the teacher asked them to do. Not only that, they also sincerely immersed themselves in the course and asked questions while working.

"Teacher, I actually fled from Dongyi City. I would like to ask how to save Dongyi City." One of the 18 disciples asked. "Dongyi City is relatively small. It faces the sea to the east, the Qi State, which is known as the orthodox state in the world, to the north, and the vast Qing State to the south. It is a place of four wars. To put it bluntly, it is a military buffer zone between the two countries. If it weren't for the great master Si Gu Jian, it would have been annexed and destroyed long ago."

Li An stopped what he was doing, sighed and said, "Dongyi City borders two countries and is unable to expand outward. With a small population, it can only maneuver between Northern Qi and Qing. In my opinion, the only way to have more abundant resources to develop itself and strengthen its strength is to vigorously develop the shipping industry."

"But these are only temporary solutions for Dongyi City today, and it's too late. Dongyi City is like a willful child, just struggling in Si Gu Jian's hands. In the final analysis, it's just Si Gu Jian's willfulness. If Si Gu Jian dies one day, all of this will no longer exist."

The disciple fell silent and said seriously: "I don't want to see my homeland become history, but I don't want to see it become weak and bullied by the two countries. So, should Dongyi City give up its independence and integrate into one of the Northern Qi or Qing countries?"

Li An listened to the words of his disciple in front of him, thinking about the geographical structure of Dongyi City, feeling helpless. He could hear the sadness and sorrow in his disciple's words, but facing the tears gradually welling up in his disciple's eyes, he had no choice but to harden his heart and say, "Yes, in my opinion, all people in this world are the same. We all have yellow skin, black hair and black eyes. If we trace our origins, we may all have the same ancestor. Why do we still insist on the name of Dongyi City? Only when the world is unified can the people no longer experience wars and live a prosperous life!"

"Teacher, what did you say?" The older disciples asked uncertainly. To them, this seemed quite incredible.

"Si Gu Jian has always been persistent. Do you know how many people in Dongyi City have been killed or injured in the wars over the years? When the world is unified, everyone has the same monarch. The roads that carriages pass through are the same roads, and the words written on paper are the same words. All places can be treated equally. There will be no conquests or wars, and the productivity will be vigorously developed. This is the way to save the people of Dongyi City."

Li An thought to himself, this is also a way to save the people of the world.

After hearing this, the disciples seemed stunned. It was not that they could not think of it, but that the world had never been unified. More importantly, the rulers of various countries would not easily give up the power in their hands.

"So, we are now improving agricultural production and increasing productivity?" asked another disciple.

"Yes, what we have in our hands now are improved agricultural tools, which the court should promote vigorously in the future. These agricultural tools can make farming more labor-saving, cultivate seedlings more reasonably, and allow seeds to enter the soil, making farming more efficient. Another thing called fertilizer can make crops bear more fruits and produce more food, which improves productivity."

"Just think about it. In the past, one person could grow enough food for three people. But the nine layers of food in the world were concentrated in the hands of a few upper-class people, and only the remaining one layer of food was shared by the majority of the people, which would leave many people hungry. Now, through improved farm tools and new fertilizers, and the new calendar, people can farm according to the farming season and naturally produce more food to feed the people of the world."

"As for how to distribute the food more reasonably so that most of the food will not be concentrated in the hands of a few people, that is what I will teach you later. In fact, those of you who are careful should have discovered that the Legalist doctrine can create laws to strictly restrict the occurrence of such behavior."

"How to distribute it reasonably is the knowledge of governing a country."

Li An sat on the edge of the field and answered his disciples' questions, including how to reclaim wasteland, how to allow the people to have arable land, some farming techniques, some issues related to the weather, and so on.

After the disciples had a full understanding, they worked harder. Li An nodded. These were the seeds for the future.

Until the sun sets, the fields are still filled with figures of all sizes.

(End of this chapter)