If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1224 Black Bull Emperor
Zhao Mansion.

"Father, the Emperor is cleaning up the inner palace," Yan Le said with a bow, approaching Zhao Gao with a worried expression.

Zhao Gao sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, his palms facing upwards, silently circulating the Lotus Sutra.

Hearing his son-in-law's words, he didn't change his actions or expression, only saying calmly, "The emperor is just a little stupid, not completely brainless. I escaped in advance, so he must know that someone in the palace has betrayed him."

Yan Ledao said, "Then let's..."

"I've already taken the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill, what more do you want?" Zhao Gao said calmly.

Yan Le secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "This isn't the first time Hu Hai has cleansed the harem, but this time he didn't kill everyone."

Upon hearing his son-in-law recount the events that had transpired in the palace in detail, Zhao Gao was somewhat surprised, but not particularly concerned.

"No one understands the emperor better than me. A leopard can't change its spots. If he can become a sage ruler, then I can become a sage of the past. Never mind him. Quickly pack your bags. You and Zhi'er, come with me to Pengcheng."

Yan Zhi was Yan Le's eldest son and Zhao Gao's grandson.

“I can go to Pengcheng with my father, why bring Zhi’er along? He doesn’t even have an official position right now,” Yan Le said.

Zhao Gao glanced at him and sneered, "If it weren't for the necessity of leaving some family members in Xingyang to reassure the court, I would have loved to take everyone with me."

Letting Zhi'er come with us is for his own good.

If you are unwilling, let Zhao Zhen take his place.

Zhao Zhen was the son of his own brother, Zhao Cheng.

Yan Le's expression changed slightly, and he quickly bowed again and said, "No, we will do as Father says. Zhi'er and I will accompany Father."

Yes, I have already instructed Zhi'er to prepare the carriages and horses, to travel light and simply, without any servants.

"We can leave Xingyang in half an hour at most."

Zhao Gao closed his eyes and said nothing more.

After hesitating for a long time, Yan Le still tentatively asked, "Yanran (Zhao Gao's daughter) and her second and third uncles (Zhao Gao's two brothers) are staying in Xingyang obediently. Is there any danger?"
Could it be that the emperor still hates us and is determined to harm them?

Zhao Gao sighed, "I certainly hate you. But as long as I live, none of you will be in danger."

But when I go to Pengcheng, I will face vicious rebels, and it wouldn't be surprising if I were to die at any time.

You and Zhi'er are following me, both to prevent the emperor from purging our family after I am killed, and also to help you and your son earn military merit.

I took the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill, so I have no hope for this lifetime.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will spend the rest of my life serving the Ying family like a slave.

Since we're going to be treated like slaves anyway, I might as well attribute all the credit I've earned to you and help you rise through the ranks in the military.

If you can become a military commander in charge of a region, you will have many more options later on.

He didn't bring his younger brother and nephew because they were both good-for-nothings. His son-in-law, Yan Le, however, was a top-tier immortal proficient in military strategy and formations.

Yan Zhi even cultivated immortal techniques and was a Qi cultivator.

Yan Le seemed to understand something, and was moved. He asked with concern, "Father, is there really no way to resolve this with the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill?"

Zhao Gao said, "Isn't the Dao Ancestor powerful? Back then, when the Hongjun Ancestor fed the three Dao Ancestors the 'Red Pill,' the Dao Ancestors were helpless."

That 'red pill' is the most powerful Qi-boosting pill, also known as the 'Saint-Death Pill'.

Grand Master Yu's cultivation level is certainly not as high as that of Grandmaster Hongjun, but the principle of 'Qi Pill' is the same.

To break the poison of Hongjun Laozu's Red Pill, one must first break Hongjun Laozu's original energy.

To break the Ancestral Dragon Qi Elixir, one must master the power to break the Ancestral Dragon Qi.

The aura of the Ancestral Dragon is impervious to all magic. If it could be easily broken, how could the late emperor have made the great immortals of the Three Realms so hateful yet helpless, forced to hide in the shadows and play the tricks of 'Su Daji'?

After uttering these words with a belly full of resentment, Zhao Gao immediately showed a look of annoyance.

Sure enough, Yan Le became suspicious and asked curiously, "What Su Daji?"

Zhao Gao shook his head, said nothing, and simply waved for his son-in-law to leave.

Half an hour later, Zhao Gao entered the palace first and received the imperial edict to "supervise the army in the southeast".

He did not meet Emperor Huhai. The imperial edict was personally written by Li Si, the chief of the Grand Council, and stamped with the imperial seal.

"Alas, things have come to this point, and I have nothing more to say. You should take care of yourself!" Li Si sighed.

"Take care, Prime Minister."

Zhao Gao could tell that Li Si's expression had eased considerably since he had taken the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill and been exiled to Pengcheng.

That bastard who deserved to have his clan wiped out, while he's saying it with a sigh, is definitely laughing inside.

—I'm so unwilling to accept that I didn't wipe out your whole family and that I couldn't call a deer a horse in front of Hu Hai!

Zhao Gao cursed under his breath, and left Xingyang City with a belly full of frustration and helplessness.

The carriage had barely left the city gate for a quarter of an hour when suddenly the grandson Yan Zhi exclaimed, "Father, Grandfather, the Emperor! The Emperor is up ahead!"

Zhao Gao was startled. "The emperor is coming to see me off? That shouldn't be the case!"

As both were "Su Daji of Qin," Hu Hai could not kill him, and certainly would not want to meet him.

"It really is the emperor! He seems to be in the fields. What is he doing?" the son-in-law Yan Le exclaimed in surprise.

Zhao Gao poked his head out of the carriage and looked ahead.

About two hundred paces away from them, in a field beside the road.

On the raised ridges of the fields, one could see the emperor's entourage, but there were not many courtiers around the procession.

There were only two palace maids and no guards, but there were hundreds of commoners watching.

A long row of carriages was parked along the road ahead, and merchants and travelers were watching the spectacle.

However, Zhao Gao was sitting in a low position on the carriage, so he couldn't see as far as his son-in-law and grandson, who were standing on horseback.

He could not see His Majesty the Emperor through the crowd outside.

"What is the emperor doing in the fields?" Zhao Gao asked, full of questions, and ordered his servants to drive the carriage forward quickly.

He hadn't walked far when, thanks to his keen senses, he heard the exclamations of passersby.

"Is this really His Majesty the Emperor? I've never seen an emperor in my life. I can't believe it."

"Of course it's the Second Emperor. Didn't you see the dragon flag and the nine-dragon umbrella? Who would dare to impersonate the emperor's regalia?"

"But what is His Majesty the Emperor doing? Why is he pulling an iron plow, tilling the land? It looks like he's planting wheat?"

"This is a wheat field! This land south of the city must be the imperial estate. His Majesty the Emperor is cultivating the wheat! It's late autumn now, isn't wheat being planted everywhere?"

"But he is His Majesty the Emperor!"

"You're making a fuss over nothing! The emperor cultivating the Jietian field and encouraging agriculture and sericulture were simply part of the Zhou rites. You arrived late and missed it."

Half an hour earlier, the Second Emperor had built an earthen altar on the edge of the field and personally offered sacrifices to the God of Agriculture (a group of agricultural gods headed by Shennong) before he himself pulled the plow to till the field.

"I never imagined that our Emperor would value agriculture so much and be so diligent, personally tilling the fields. He's so strong and hardworking!"

Zhao Gao saw an old farmer nearby standing by, using his farming tools, watching.

They whispered among themselves, nodding in approval from time to time, their old faces displaying a smile that was a mixture of surprise and awe.

"Hu Hai is tilling the fields? Has he had a stroke?" Zhao Gao knew his disciple too well, and was most shocked at this moment. He leaped onto the roof of the chariot. His view suddenly opened up, and he saw Hu Hai diligently tilling the wheat field.

Hu Hai was indeed farming.

He was like a little black ox, with a leather belt across his chest, tightening his shoulders, his trouser legs rolled up, barefoot, dragging a wooden plow, turning up clumps of wet soil in the field.

The speed was quite fast, almost like a jog. The plow went deep into the ground, about five or six feet, turning over large chunks of soil.

If this were in Xiaoyu's previous life in ancient times, the people around wouldn't be watching a spectacle, but rather a monster.

However, in this era, it was not a widespread phenomenon for martial artists to plow the fields instead of oxen, but it was still quite common.

After all, not every household can afford to raise oxen. But some poor families might be lucky enough to have a son with superhuman strength.

An old farmer with superhuman strength is worth ten old oxen.

Furthermore, Ying Zheng specifically established "Martial Arts Academy," similar to the "County School" in Xiao Yu's previous life. This ensured that people in rural areas could also access "common but not low-level martial arts," as well as talent and supernatural ability testing and development.

It was only because the imperial court's finances were strained due to the annual military campaigns in the north in recent years that the free distribution of "divine pills" was stopped.

However, those who cultivate the land by hand are mostly poor families.

If a family has a cow, who would want to be the cow themselves?

What's more, it's the emperor who's plowing the fields right now!

Zhao Gao stared blankly at Hu Hai, who was sweating profusely in the wheat field, and the more he looked at him, the more unfamiliar he seemed to be.

Hu Hai showed no sign of pain or suffering; his smile was brighter than the sun overhead.

Even though his face was covered in mud and his hair was soaked with sweat, he was still smiling, revealing a set of big white teeth.

Sunlight shone on him, reflecting colorful light off the glistening sweat on his face, making him look somewhat sacred.

"Has Hu Hai lost his mind?" Zhao Gao asked, bewildered.

"Wait, how come Hu Hai's aura has become so much stronger?" After a moment of confusion, Zhao Gao was startled.

Although Hu Hai did not use his divine skills at this time, he was diligently tilling the fields. Since he possessed internal energy, he would certainly be circulating it.

In addition, Zhao Gao's familiarity with Hu Hai allowed him to immediately and keenly sense the changes in Hu Hai's internal energy.

Not only did the quantity increase more than tenfold, but the quality of the true energy also made him feel uneasy.

"Hu Hai must have changed the fundamental laws. By the way, last night he talked to Grand Tutor Yu about the Emperor's Divine Skill?"

Zhao Gao wanted to continue observing, but suddenly met a pair of wary eyes.

He was a guard who disguised himself as an ordinary citizen and mingled among the crowd.

Hu Hai was busy in the field, with several eunuchs following behind him planting wheat.

On the edge of the field sat several elderly PhDs, panting and covered in dirt, but with expressions of satisfaction on their faces.

The guardians who protected Hu Hai were all hidden among the crowd.

"Let's go!" Zhao Gao jumped off the carriage, full of doubts, and continued south.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhao Gao who was shocked by Hu Hai's actions.

The civil and military officials in the palace were also incredulous upon hearing about the Second Emperor's actions.

“I know about the Plowing Ceremony, but isn’t it held during the Spring Equinox? Moreover, every time the Plowing Ceremony is held, all civil and military officials have to participate. It requires several days of preparation in advance, and it’s a grand affair with complicated rituals.”

"How can you just walk into the fields, roll up your sleeves and trousers, and start plowing?" Li Si asked doubtfully.

Feng Quji knew a little about the inside story and said, "Your Majesty wants to be a wise ruler, but doesn't know how to do it, so he consulted Shusun Tong."

Shusun Tong advised him to try encouraging agriculture and sericulture, and His Majesty gladly accepted.

Li Si became increasingly puzzled and said, "To be a wise ruler, one should learn from the teachings of the sages. Why do those scholars, including Shusun Tong, who are full of sage texts, encourage Your Majesty to go and farm?"

Feng Quji said, "Do you think they are unwilling to teach His Majesty Confucian classics? If His Majesty agrees, they will be more than happy to do so."

But His Majesty couldn't calm down and insisted on going outside the palace to observe the people's conditions. In His Majesty's words, doing scholarship is like practicing martial arts. Reading the classics in the palace is called "quiet practice"; going out to do some practical work is called "active practice".

He enjoyed practicing dynamic exercises and asked Shusun Tong and others to teach him how to put the ways of the sages into practice through hands-on activities.

Seeing that Li Si was still frowning, Prime Minister Feng smiled and said, "This summer, the Xingyang area suffered from floods, resulting in a poor harvest."

His Majesty personally planting wheat is indeed inspiring and urges the people to hurry up and cultivate the land.

At the same time, it also earned His Majesty a lot of good reputation.

Isn't this much better than spending broad daylight mingling with the concubines in the harem?

“That’s true. I just don’t understand,” Li Si said.

“We just need to keep a close eye on His Majesty’s conduct and make sure he doesn’t make any mistakes. Let Shusun Tong and the others handle the other trivial matters! With Shusun Tong and his group of Confucian scholars by our side, we have the least worry about His Majesty going astray,” Feng Quji said.

Half a month later, Li Si felt that Emperor Huhai had been corrupted by Shusun Tong and his associates.

Because Hu Hai had been plowing the fields for half a month! Every morning he would go to the fields at the crack of dawn and continue plowing until dark.

He not only cultivated the more than 500 mu of wheat fields in the imperial estate located by the imperial road, but also sought out orphaned and widowed families who had lost their able-bodied men and helped them cultivate the land.

Today, Hu Hai even approached him, asking him to adjust the "Ten Years of Benevolent Governance" and strive to forge an iron plow for every household.

"Wooden plows can also be pulled, but they are too strenuous. I have personally tried eighty-six kinds of plows and found that this iron plow is the most labor-saving to pull."

Emperor Huhai brought an iron plow to see Prime Minister Li, leaving Prime Minister Li stunned.

It's not just Emperor Huhai's actions, but also his image.

Emperor Huhai worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, cultivating the land, and had transformed from a fair-skinned young man into a dark-skinned, muscular man.

He was wearing straw sandals, not a long robe, and trousers like the common people, with the sleeves cut short.

Very capable and good at working, but not at all befitting an emperor's demeanor.

"Your Majesty, why do you like farming so much? Recently, the common people have given you a nickname, 'Black Ox Emperor,' are you aware of that?"

Li Si swallowed hard, wondering if Hu Hai was possessed by something.

"Of course, calling you 'Black Bull Emperor' is not an insult, and I have not denied the significance of your farming."

Your Majesty, I have sent people to investigate. Since Your Majesty began farming, your reputation among the people in the surrounding counties has improved significantly.

"But I am puzzled by your enthusiasm for farming."

Upon hearing this, Hu Hai's face fell, and his brows furrowed. "Alas, it is not that I like farming, but agriculture and sericulture are the foundation of the nation."

At present, I have not found anything more important or urgent than this.

He also wanted to find an easier way to earn the power of belief.

For example, he would patrol the palace every day, and the guards, maids, and eunuchs all became increasingly respectful of him.

However, if he were to parade through the streets with his entourage and imperial guards, causing the streets to be blocked and swept, shops to be forced to close, and people to be unable to go out freely, it would certainly be considered as the behavior of a foolish ruler who disturbs the people and wastes a great deal of resources.

Seeing him stroll through the streets on the first day, allowing the people to see him, might inspire some shallow sense of conviction.

But the lives of ordinary people have already been disrupted. If he repeats the same mistake as the "Golden Bell Hall leak case" a second or third time, he will suffer the backlash of his beliefs, go mad, and be in unbearable pain.

(End of this chapter)