We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

A quiet afternoon.

Above the imperial capital, sunlight shines through sparse clouds and gently falls on a courtyard.

This courtyard is located in a corner of the imperial capital, far away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and appears particularly quiet and ethereal.

In the courtyard, green bamboos sway, ancient trees stand tall, and a stream meanders through, the water gurgling and clear to the bottom.

There are several volumes of ancient books on the stone table, and a pot of freshly brewed tea next to it. The fragrance of tea is everywhere, intertwined with the fragrance of bamboo and flowers.

An ordinary-looking old man, who looked like a farmer in the fields, sat at a stone table with a letter in his hand.

He had read this letter so many times that the edges were slightly curled.

The old man gently put down the letter in his hand, with some doubts still in his eyes.

"At the service of the king..." the old man murmured.

He shook his head. In the past few months, the deeds of this young prince had spread throughout the capital, and his influence was almost as great as that of the two princes Qin and Jin.

However, he did not trust the royal family.

No matter how famous Prince Feng is, it is useless. The royal family is best at creating momentum, especially the almighty Emperor Qing, who is a master at playing power games.

Tao Qian gently put down the letter, frowned slightly, and fell into deep thought.

His eyes were deep, as if he could see through all the troubles in the world.

Finally, his eyes fell on a part of the letter.

There are three words written there: [Black Soil]

Tao Qian did not understand Feng Wang, but he understood his little apprentice.

Wang Xizheng had a pure character and was extremely respectful to his teacher. He was a good boy who respected his teachers.

He would not lie to himself, of course, it is not ruled out that King Feng lied to him.

There might really be a kind of soil in the land outside the Great Wall that can grow crops with half the effort. Even if there is only one harvest a year, the annual output can exceed that of the land in the Central Plains.

After all, the world is so big that there are all kinds of strange things.

After a moment, Tao Qian slowly stood up.

He walked to a corner of the courtyard where there was an ancient well.

He bent down gently, picked up the bucket, filled it with clean water, and then slowly watered the flowers and plants in the yard.

The movements were unhurried and had a certain rhythm.

The flowers and plants in the courtyard are lush and green, and are even more colorful and brighter than those in Emperor Qing's imperial garden.

After watering the flowers, he gently put down the bucket, his eyes clear.

He called softly, "Haoran."

A moment later, a young man walked out of the room and bowed in front of Tao Qian, saying, "Teacher."

Tao Qian took out the letter from his little apprentice from his arms and handed it to him.

The young man picked up the letter and read it carefully, then his eyes widened. "Junior brother, after arriving outside the Great Wall, has actually been highly valued by the King of Feng?"

Tao Qian nodded: "Xi Zheng has a simple personality. His words express his admiration and affection for the King Feng. I'm sure he is not false."

The young man's face lit up with joy. "So, that King Feng might really value agriculture and sericulture, otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to write a letter inviting you to the land beyond the Great Wall."

"I've heard that Prince Feng is a kind and gentle man. He has long been known for his kindness within the palace, and all officials praise him endlessly."

"Now that we have defeated Goryeo and Khitan, it is clear that this man is kind and gentle, not pedantic. Perhaps joining him is an opportunity for our Taoyuan Sect."

Tao Qian smiled, walked to the stone table, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"You...since ancient times, has there ever been an emperor who didn't value agriculture?"

"But they only valued the crops grown in the fields, never the people who grew them. As for the so-called scholar-bureaucrats, farmers, merchants, and artisans, farmers, though only below the scholar-bureaucrats, never truly earned the status they deserved."

Tao Qian sighed softly, his eyes filled with empty numbness and disappointment:

“If farming could make you successful, then farmers would have no land to farm.”

The Taoyuan Sect not only encouraged farming, but also advocated improving the status of farmers, believing that farmers were the backbone of national development.

Tao Qian also traveled around giving lectures and spreading his ideas.

When the Huan Dynasty was torn apart and many heroes emerged, he traveled among the various forces and persuaded the rebel kings and generals.

However, when the world is in chaos, who would care about the so-called agronomy?

The territory you just conquered today may be taken away by others tomorrow.

Everyone knows that agriculture and sericulture should be developed, but the benefits of developing agriculture and sericulture are too far away, and the rebel kings can't wait.

Only the current Majesty accepted Tao Qian's suggestion, treated him as a guest of honor, and gave him high positions and generous salaries.

But Emperor Qing was only interested in Tao Qian's research on agronomy, not his ideas.

After the founding of Daqing, Emperor Qing still allowed Tao Qian to control agricultural affairs, but his idea of ​​emphasizing agriculture was shelved.

Tao Qian became increasingly disappointed, and eventually resigned from his official position and retired, where he began to recruit disciples.

The longer he lived, the more he realized that it was not that his ideas were not good enough, but that his ideas were not good enough for an emperor.

The so-called Confucianism and Legalism are nothing more than tools used by emperors to control the common people.

The tool of agronomy is obviously not handy enough.

Tao Qian came back to his senses, and his cloudy eyes became even dimmer.

He looked at the young man in front of him and said slowly, "Go, call your fellow apprentices over."

Huan Haoran bowed his head and saluted, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Soon, fellow disciples of the Taoyuan Sect came to the courtyard one after another.

They are either young or old, all have dark skin and a unique temperament.

That was a style that was a fusion of scholar and farmer, completely incompatible with other literati in this world.

If Li Che were here, he would definitely notice that these people were very similar to the grassroots village officials who went to the countryside in the early days of the founding of the country in his previous life.

Tao Qian stood in front of them, his figure looking even more hunched.

He glanced at his many disciples, his eyes full of love.

No one accepted his ideas, and the most valuable wealth he left behind in his life were those agricultural books and these like-minded disciples.

"Hello, teacher." Everyone greeted in unison.

"Xi Zheng has sent a letter." Tao Qian's voice was gentle but powerful. "He is serving under the king outside the Great Wall and is doing quite well."

The disciples looked delighted.

Wang Xizheng started learning Buddhism very late, but he was innocent and kind-hearted. All his disciples, both direct disciples and registered disciples, liked him very much.

Upon learning that Wang Xizheng was implicated and exiled due to his father's involvement, everyone begged Tao Qian to help, hoping that he could ask the emperor to intercede for Wang Xizheng.

Tao Qian also agreed, and Emperor Qing also gave him face.

But Wang Xizheng was too filial and insisted on following his father to the bitter and cold land outside the Great Wall.

Although everyone was worried and reluctant, they couldn't stop it.

Now that I heard that Wang Xizheng was doing well, I was naturally extremely happy.

Tao Qian smiled and continued:

"Our school emphasizes practical work and focuses on agriculture and sericulture, pursuing the integration of knowledge and practice."

"You have all learned almost everything. I have nothing more to teach you. All that remains is for you to practice and verify what you have learned."

"Now, King Feng has given you an opportunity and invited you to serve as agricultural officials in Feng State so that you can put your ideas into practice."

Tao Qian pointed to the letter in Huan Haoran's hand and said, "Here is the letter. It describes the situation in Feng State. Please circulate it."

"If anyone wants to give it a try, then go together. We'll have someone to look after you along the way."

Everyone bowed and said, "Yes."

Tao Qian closed his eyes and said no more.

Listening to the disciples' excited conversation, he sighed slightly in his heart.

When I was young, I was just like them, full of energy for the future. Even if I encountered setbacks here, I could adjust quickly and still be full of confidence when moving on to the next place.

Little do we know that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

I just hope that King Feng is as kind and righteous as Xizheng said, and treats his disciples better.

Otherwise, even if I have to risk my reputation, I will go to His Majesty to ask for an explanation!

After a while, everyone read the letter.

Tao Qian slowly opened his eyes and asked gently, "How about it? Is anyone willing to go?"

Everyone was silent, looking hesitant.

Tao Qian smiled faintly: "Why? You are always eager to show your ambitions. Now that you really have the opportunity, why are you backing off?"

Someone stepped forward and said, "Teacher, I do want to go... but I feel my abilities are limited. I would like to listen to your teachings and study diligently for a few more years."

Tao Qian's heart softened when he heard this, and he said softly:

"Foolish child, the first lesson I will teach you is to work hard in the fields and not just stick to the principles in books."

"Did you forget it?"

"I, your disciple, will never forget." The man trembled, his eyes slightly red. "I am willing to go, but... please take care of yourself, Master."

The teacher is not young anymore. He will be seventy after the New Year.

Over the years, he had aged visibly and had difficulty walking, and his disciples had seen it all.

The journey to the outside of the Great Wall is long, and I don’t know if there will be another chance for us to meet again.

Tao Qian nodded with satisfaction and looked at the others: "Who else wants to go?"

Everyone paused for a moment, then bowed and kowtowed:

"Disciple is willing to go."

"Disciple also wants to try it."

"Please take care of yourself, teacher."

"Teacher, I..."

Huan Haoran watched his fellow apprentices prostrate themselves before him, his face filled with astonishment and confusion.

You all actually...want to go?

The key is...I want to go too.

But when he turned his gaze to Tao Qian, who looked very old, Huan Haoran gritted his teeth and put his thoughts aside.

The junior students are all out, and the teacher cannot be alone.

Since the eldest senior disciple is not around, I, as the oldest disciple, naturally have to take on the responsibility of taking care of my teacher.

Tao Qian looked at the disciples prostrating themselves before him and chuckled with satisfaction: "Hahaha, good, you are worthy of being my disciples."

Then, he turned to look at Huan Haoran: "Haoran, don't you want to go?"

Huan Haoran's eyes flashed with confusion, and he said seriously:

"I don't want to go. Fengguo is far away. You know I am very lazy and cannot endure hardship. It's better for me to stay in the imperial capital."

"Hahaha, kid, have you learned to lie to your teacher?" Tao Qian teased with a smile.

"Okay, Master understands."

Tao Qian looked at Huan Haoran, his eyes full of tenderness, and said softly, "Go and pack your luggage for me. We will set off tomorrow."

Huan Haoran was stunned and said, "Teacher, what are you doing..."

"Traitor, you all go out and leave an old man like me to live out his life alone here?" Tao Qian scolded with a smile.

"As for the land outside the Great Wall, I have never been there. Being buried there might be a good choice."