Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 325 - 209 Writing a Book on Agriculture, Securing the Future

Chapter 325: Chapter 209 Writing a Book on Agriculture, Securing the Future

One year later, Jiang Jucai quelled the last four counties and led his troops back to Bianjing, which erupted in excitement. The ceremonial guard lined up all the way to the imperial palace, totaling a gigantic force of thirty thousand men.

It was an assembly far surpassing any before, larger by several times than the battle-hardened troops Jiang Jucai had brought into the city. However, when Jiang Jucai took a closer look, he saw the ceremonial guard was sparse and disheveled, with clothes of every hue, and all they held were mere sticks; there were no plaques, banners or magnificent flags to be seen.

Jiang Fugui, who had essentially become the lord of all under heaven, stood behind the city gates to greet Jiang Jucai. The latter dismounted, strode up and knelt to pay his respects, saying, "Your Majesty, my son greets you. Long live, long live the emperor."

After the formalities, the two boarded the carriage, and the distinction between lord and subject immediately dissolved.

Arm in arm, speaking in hushed tones, Jiang Jucai eyed the beggars outside and said, "Father, if we don’t have any money, let’s not bother with all this. Isn’t putting on a beggar’s parade just inviting mockery?"

Jiang Fugui glared and retorted, "Employment for relief, you understand nothing! Look at our current state; the nation’s name is yet undefined, and half the people of the world are not yet settled. Talking about this land of Bianjing alone, more and more refugees flood in, while the fields and grain are insufficient to distribute."

"Drive them to other places?"

"Fool, such travel causes countless deaths and injuries. Moreover, the local clans have yet to be fully managed. Currently, our commands cannot extend beyond a hundred miles, and we have nothing but an empty title."

"The army could clear the way, who would dare disobey?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Fugui delivered a punch to his head, scolding, "Even when I was doing business, I wouldn’t dare to dismiss a worker lightly. Do you think you’re raising chickens and ducks? Mr. Wen once said, ’To govern a great nation is like cooking a small fish, one should not disturb the people.’"

"We’re distributing land to the people, is that disturbing them?"

"Do you have the local offices to listen, or a secret intelligence network? You infuriate me! For the next few years, you’re to stay by my side and not re-enter the military camps."

As Jiang Fugui spoke, he grew increasingly agitated, still feeling that despite Jiang Jucai’s poor literacy, his great martial skill was of no use.

A few months ago, he had consulted Gu Wen, who did not offer a specific answer, suggesting that adapting measures to local conditions was the best approach.

Gu Wen posed several questions to him: Land must be distributed, but how, by whom, and could it actually reach the hands of the people?

Now that he was truly seated in this position, Jiang Fugui felt an immense pressure and fatigue, and even began to loathe his former self for all the cunning tricks he used to play.

In these times of danger, with the people not having enough to eat, there were still pests looking to profit from disaster!

Returning to the palace, many halls remained in ruins.

The Jiang family father and son then met with many heroes, among them military nobles, famed ministers from the former dynasty, great scholars of the age, and so on. The group argued over the naming of the country, ending in a tumultuous mess.

They parted without celebration, and the father and son retreated to a side hall. The doors were broken, crudely patched together with wooden boards; inside, the decor was lush and luxurious, but there was always some hole fixed in the same way as an ordinary farmhouse.

Even the eunuchs and palace maids who looked down upon them were the same ones left over from before.

"Father, at least repair it a bit."

"Repair? Do you know how much silver that would cost? Do you think the treasury’s silver is whisked in by the wind? Or do you think living a bit more humbly would cost you an arm or a leg?"

Jiang Jucai was chastised again, and he could only respond with a helpless, wry smile.

Although his father donned the imperial robe, he was still the same frugal miser from before, keeping a death grip on all expenditures.

At that moment, a child wearing patched trousers ran in. Jiang Juxian excitedly yelled, "Father, Mr. Wen has woken up, he requests your presence."

"That means he has come out of seclusion."

Jiang Fugui perked up, straightened his clothes, skipped lunch, and left in a hurry. The Jiang brothers and about a dozen guards, along with a troop of eunuchs and palace maids, followed closely behind.

A large entourage ran from the southern and northern parts of the palace to the Imperial Garden in the east.

The place had been transformed into Gu Wen’s residence, completely overturned by Qingcang. Where rare and exotic flowers once grew, now there were plots of land bearing various crops, a single stalk of rice heavy with hundreds of grains.

Upon first seeing this, Jiang Fugui had kneeled down on the spot, crying and begging Gu Wen to bestow this treasure upon him.

The Immortal, who was very close to Mr. Wen, provided it to Jiang Fugui without charge. After sowing, within just a year, starvation was no longer the norm.

Though not yet affluence, after the people had food to eat, they gradually settled down.

An old donkey lay on the ridge, speaking human language, warning, "Don’t step on the fields."

Jiang Fugui paid his respects reverently, taking only his two sons to enter the golden rice field.

Passing through the golden sea of rice, a smoke-wreathed house in the distance could just be made out. Upon approaching, one could see a man and two women dining inside.

"My disciple, eat more."

Qingcang picked out a bitter melon that he didn’t like and slipped it into Gu Wen’s bowl, then stole a piece of meat for himself.

This had become a routine. After initial adoration, Gu Wen could sense his master gradually starting to treat him as a ’toy.’

With high emotional intelligence, one would say that Master Qingcang was a person with a lot of everyday joy, not the harsh, dry image of a Taoist one might expect.

The sound of footsteps outside halted everyone’s dining, and Gu Wen got up from the table to meet Jiang Fugui outside.

"Mr. Wen, you have finally left your seclusion."

Jiang Fugui started wiping away tears again, showing none of the authority expected of a monarch.

Gu Wen said somewhat helplessly, "Every time I see you, you’re always crying."

"Half a year away felt like a lifetime. How many half years does one have in life?"

Jiang Fugui openly retained his demeanor, as in the ancient feudal society, people placed great emphasis on emotions. This was not only a bond that maintained interests but also a source of security in a society lacking rule of law, where friends and family were the sole source of safety.