Starting with ten elixirs of immortality, I led the First Emperor to rebel against the Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng looked at the kneeling officials below, without a trace of pride in his eyes.

Confucianism had seeped into Fusu's very being, and it couldn't be fixed by a beating. A complete reversal would be a long and arduous task.

He waved his hand, signaling the officials to rise.

The morning court session must continue.

Outside the hall, the screams of the Confucian scholars gradually faded away.

Inside the Qilin Hall, a faint, almost imperceptible, pungent smell of blood wafted through the air.

All the officials kept their heads down, eyes downcast, seemingly afraid that they would be next.

Ying Zheng's gaze swept over the assembled officials, landing on Right Chancellor Feng Quji and Chief Minister of Grain Zheng Guo.

"Feng Xiang".

Feng Quji shuddered and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Your subject is here."

"How is the 'castration of pigs to remove the fishy smell' method that I ordered you to implement?" Ying Zheng asked.

The method of fanning pigs may seem insignificant, but it can greatly improve the diet of the people of Qin.

Feng Quji dared not be negligent and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I have discussed with the officials in charge of grain and the Ministry of Revenue and formulated a detailed plan for its implementation. First, the government will issue a proclamation to inform all counties and prefectures of the benefits of this law. Any household that raises pigs can go to the county temple and have a dedicated official castrate their young pigs free of charge."

"Secondly, we will conduct pilot programs in the vicinity of Xianyang, selecting several villages and having veterinary officials under the Taipu Temple personally provide guidance. Once the results are significant, these skilled officials will be dispatched to various prefectures for training at each level, gradually expanding the program."

"Thirdly, to encourage the people, the government may, at its discretion, reduce or exempt some of their taxes for those who practice this law, or offer them a slightly higher price when purchasing pigs."

Feng Quji explained his plan clearly and logically, showing that he had clearly put in a lot of effort.

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction after listening.

"Very good, let's implement it this way. This matter concerns people's livelihood, so we must get it done as soon as possible."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Feng Quji bowed and withdrew.

Ying Zheng then turned his attention to the State of Zheng.

"How is potato cultivation progressing in the State of Zheng?"

This is the issue he cares about most today.

The Longevity Pill can only strengthen him, or a few others.

Potatoes, this miraculous crop that yields 3,000 catties per mu, can strengthen the entire Qin Dynasty. They can feed the Qin's elite soldiers and ensure that the people of the world no longer go hungry.

Upon hearing His Majesty's question, Zheng Guo quickly stepped forward, his expression a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.

"Your Majesty, I immediately organized people yesterday to clear out a hundred acres of fertile land in the Shanglin Garden outside Xianyang City as a trial planting site."

"The potato is truly amazing; a single potato can be cut into several pieces, and each piece can sprout roots. I am confident that within a few years, this plant can be planted all over the Qin Dynasty!"

"But..." Zheng Guo changed the subject, hesitating for a moment.

"Just what? Speak freely," Ying Zheng said.

Zheng Guo sighed and said, "Although potatoes are a divine crop, they are quite labor-intensive to grow. The land must be deeply plowed and ridges made to ensure a good yield. Although our Great Qin has no shortage of manpower, oxen are extremely scarce. They are an important strategic resource, mostly used for transporting supplies for the army."

"Cultivating the land by hand with plows and hoes is far too slow."

"Yesterday, I mobilized over a thousand laborers, and after a whole day of hard work, we only managed to cultivate a little over ten acres of land. If we were to plant all one hundred acres of experimental land, it would probably take several more days. And this is only one hundred acres; if we were to extend this to the whole country, I'm afraid..."

Zheng Guo didn't say anything more, but his meaning was already quite clear.

The shortage of oxen has severely limited the efficiency of potato cultivation.

Ying Zheng frowned, knowing that Zheng Guo was telling the truth.

In the Qin Dynasty, cattle were an important strategic resource, with a status comparable to that of tanks in later times.

Slaughtering cattle without cause is a serious crime; the value of a cow can even exceed the life of an ordinary civilian.

Most of the cattle were used for military transport, and very few were kept by civilians; ordinary people could never own them.

Using manual labor with plows and hoes to turn the soil, it would take several strong laborers several days to work on just one acre of land. The inefficiency is self-evident.

In this way, even with a wonderful food like potatoes, it would be a huge challenge to spread them quickly and make them available to all the people in the world in a short period of time.

Ying Zheng silently kept this in mind; it seemed he would have something to ask Huan'er again the next time he saw him.

Hopefully Huan'er has a solution.

"I know about this matter." Ying Zheng waved his hand. "You must do your best to handle it and ensure that the hundred acres of experimental fields are cultivated well without any mistakes."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zheng Guo accepted the order and withdrew.

Ying Zheng looked down at Fusu, who was still bowing his head, and could sense that he was still worried about the Confucian scholars who had just been punished.

It seems we need to send Fusu over as soon as possible.

If we let him stay in Xianyang any longer, hanging out with those Confucian scholars who only know how to talk about etiquette and law, he'll be completely corrupted sooner or later!

"Court adjourned!"

Ying Zheng rose, turned and left, leaving behind a hall full of ministers with differing thoughts.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Outside Xianyang City, at a secluded execution ground, torches crackled and popped, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

Ying Zheng, dressed in casual clothes, stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene with an expressionless face.

Behind him stood a group of trusted ministers, including Li Si, Feng Quji, Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Wang Li, all with solemn expressions.

Not far from them, Fusu stood pale-faced, his body trembling slightly.

In the center of the execution ground, Xu Fu was bound hand and foot, his hair disheveled, his face filled with terror.

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent! I've always been loyal to the Qin Dynasty and have never had any disloyal intentions!" Xu Fu was still making a last-ditch effort.

Ying Zheng ignored him and just stared at him coldly.

"Fusu".

"Father...Father Emperor..." Fusu's voice trembled.

Ying Zheng pointed at Xu Fu and said, word by word, "This man wants to destroy my Great Qin and plunge my China into chaos! Today, I will let you see with your own eyes what the consequences will be for betraying Great Qin!"

He turned to the executioner and ordered, "The time has come, carry out the execution!"

"only!"

At the executioner's command, the five sturdy horses galloped off in five different directions.

"ah--!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the night sky.

Blood stained the ground of the execution ground.

Fusu could no longer hold back and bent over to vomit violently.

Looking at his disheveled appearance, Ying Zheng felt no pity, only a chilling coldness in his eyes.

kindness?

To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself!

He had to make Fusu remember this principle in the most profound and bloody way.

The bloody scene of Xu Fu's execution shocked everyone present.

Fusu, in particular, vomited so much that he almost vomited bile, and his face was as white as paper. It took him a long time to stand up with the help of the eunuchs.

Ying Zheng didn't even glance at him, and turned to give orders to Meng Tian.

"The rest of the alchemists, as planned, will be secretly escorted to Lantian. Tell them that if they want to live, they must demonstrate their true abilities to me. Otherwise, they will suffer the same fate as Xu Fu."

"Yes, sir!" Meng Tian clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Immediately afterwards, he personally led his men to take the remaining sorcerers, who were already terrified, from another prison and sent them overnight to a secret mountain near Zhao Family Village that was heavily guarded by the Meng family army.

That mountain had already been named "Gewuyuan" by Ying Zheng.

It would both facilitate Zhao Huan's research into "dimensional reduction attacks" and allow him to remain hidden.

After dealing with all of this, Ying Zheng returned to Xianyang Palace with a group of trusted confidants.