Following Nature, I Am No Match for an Old Farmer

"Oh?" The King of the Liang Kingdom was taken aback. "Decisive? Benevolent governance?"

He was single-mindedly focused on suppressing the rebellion, seeking only decisive and courageous martial arts skills, and then pinning his hopes on the fruits of his Rice Policy in a few years.

In fact, the King of the Liang Kingdom had already heard about the events in the northern kingdoms, but unlike the common people, he was not concerned about the famine. Instead, he was concerned that in some countries that had planted the Principle Rice, the famine subsided somewhat in the third and fourth years after the first and second years.

For a ruler who wants to achieve something, a year or two of chaos is not unacceptable.

However, it would be ideal to achieve the goal while avoiding chaos.

As if seeing through the Liang Kingdom's thoughts, Qiu Yan continued, "I have heard that the states of Song and Chen transplanted the Principle Rice, and that year they had a bumper harvest, and everyone praised the two rulers for their wisdom; the states of Wei and Zheng were in turmoil for three years, but now peace has been restored, and the granaries are full, and people say that the Marquis of Wei and the Earl of Zheng were farsighted; the states of Guan and Cao have lost their sense of propriety to this day, and people call them rulers of doomed states. With Your Majesty's abilities, you can be compared to the Marquis of Wei and the Earl of Zheng, but I wish to make Your Majesty's achievements comparable to those of Song and Chen."

These things were not just idle talk, but information that Qiu Yan had gathered through his Divine Soul senses.

"Oh? What method do you have?" Upon hearing this, the King of the Liang Kingdom suddenly became uneasy, fearing that he would become the ruler of Guan and Cao, yet unwilling to let Song and Chen monopolize the limelight. As for Wei and Zheng, although they had once been powerful, they were now weak states, and the King of Liang did not want to associate with them.

With just a simple analogy, Qiu Yan gave the King of the Liang Kingdom a sense of unease and diminished his Original Edition murderous intent.

Inside the main hall, Qiu Yan's will began to intensify.

Qiu Yan naturally wanted to press his advantage. He pointed to a vat beside him and said, "Your Majesty, this vat contains the Principle Rice. Do you see any sign of it falling over? When it was transplanted yesterday, this rice was already on its last legs."

"Is this really true?"

The King of the Liang Kingdom looked surprised. Just now, Qiu Yan had pointed to the rice in the vat and mentioned the transplanting of the Principle Rice, but the King of the Liang Kingdom had not realized it. Now, hearing that the rice had been on the verge of death but was now full of vitality, he immediately realized the key.

"My dear minister, have you found a way to revive the Principle Rice?" He was so surprised that he even changed his form of address, no longer using the cold and hard "Grand Minister of Agriculture" but instead calling him "my dear minister."

Immediately, Qiu Yan's will grew stronger and stronger, occupying a corner of the main hall and accumulating power.

"That's exactly right." Qiu Yan didn't mince words. "I talked with that old farmer and heard him say something. That's how I came to understand this method." There was something hidden in his words.

Qiu Yan's transplanting took only two days. Normally, transplanting grass and trees wouldn't show such rapid results. The reason for this was that Qiu Yan used Dao Arts. However, apart from that, there was no other interference. Not to mention that the King of the Liang Kingdom didn't understand agriculture or the concepts involved, even if he sent someone to investigate, it would only take a little more time.

"My dear minister, please speak frankly!" After calming himself down, King Liang Kingdom asked, his curiosity growing stronger.

At the same time, thoughts originating from Qiu Yan began to linger around Lord Liang.

Qiu Yan replied, "The old farmer I spoke with is very skilled in planting. Besides rice, he also often plants trees and is very famous in the countryside. Every tree he transplants survives."

The King of the Liang Kingdom noticed a problem. "According to you, this old farmer does have some merit, but since he is skilled in planting, why can't he grow the Principle Rice?"

Qiu Yan was already prepared, and upon hearing this, he said, "What Your Majesty said is exactly the key point. I also raised a question, but the old farmer said that he didn't have much skill, and that he could make all the trees he planted survive by following the growth laws of plants and crops and giving full play to their nature."

At this point, Qiu Yan looked directly at the King of the Liang Kingdom and uttered eight words—

"Follow the natural order of the wood, so as to realize its inherent nature."

Instantly, the thoughts within the hall surged, originating from Qiu Yan, flowing like water and seeping into the Liang Kingdom's body!

Zhang Qin's expression changed slightly, while Qiu Yan's expression remained unchanged.

"The old farmer spoke of his experience, saying that whenever planting, the roots should be spread out, the soil should be evenly distributed, the old soil should be carried with it when transplanting, and the soil should be tamped down finely and firmly. At first, you should take care of it like you would your own children, but after doing all this, you should not touch or manage it anymore, so as to preserve the natural growth of the plants." Qiu Yan said a few more words, which made the King of the Liang Kingdom show a thoughtful expression.

His thoughts began to be disturbed and influenced by the consciousness emanating from Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan's body trembled slightly, and the chilling aura surrounding him began to dissipate, but he didn't think much of it.

Composing himself, Qiu Yan continued, "I found his words reasonable and began to believe him. When I inquired about the reasons for the failure of the Principle Rice, the old farmer said that they all understood Your Majesty's good intentions, but the officials, relying on Your Majesty's prestige, issued orders. The officials seemed to care for the people, but because they did not understand the agricultural season, they brought disaster upon themselves."

"What do you mean? What disaster have these officials brought?" Liang Kingdom's eyes widened suddenly, unusually not showing anger, but instead revealing a look of doubt. "This land was all cultivated by farmers, and it is they who have rebelled..."

Qiu Yan could understand the feelings of the King of the Liang Kingdom. In his view, it was simply outrageous that the more productive Principle Rice had been transplanted, yet the farmers not only failed to grow it, but also rebelled in the end.

This also shows that Lord Liang doesn't understand farming, but Qiu Yan naturally couldn't say it directly. Instead, he said, "To ensure a good harvest, His Majesty ordered officials to supervise. These officials send people every day to urge the farmers to plow the fields, force them to sow seeds, and remind them to harvest as soon as possible. Sometimes, regardless of whether it's busy or not, they suddenly gather the people together for a lecture, and sometimes they make the farmers stop their work to prepare meals for the officials..."

Qiu Yan recounted the actions of the officials and clerks one by one, and the astonishment on the face of the King of the Liang Kingdom deepened. Moreover, most of the consciousness originating from Qiu Yan had already been integrated into the King of Liang's body.

"How could the Grand Minister of Agriculture harbor such thoughts?"

The hall fell silent. All the ministers looked surprised. By now, they could see that Qiu Yan's so-called solution to the predicament was actually a form of advice, but his method of admonition was quite ingenious.

Zhang Qin's face also showed surprise, but more than that, it was filled with anticipation.

The officials' astonishment did not affect Qiu Yan in the slightest. After recounting some examples of government interference in agricultural affairs, he changed the subject. "Having heard these things, I have come to ponder them. Farmers are already busy with their labors and have no free time. Now, being ordered around by officials like this, not only are their fields not being cultivated well, but their lives are also unstable, leaving them exhausted and weary every day..."

"They should be given some rest," Liang Kingdom suddenly said. "As for the officials' coercion, it was my subordinates who kept it from me. I had them supervise the situation and never allowed them to take over."

A hint of realization flashed across his face; his entire mind was completely swayed and influenced by Qiu Yan's thoughts.

"Your Majesty is wise. Some things are better left unsaid," Qiu Yan bowed deeply, then continued, "After I returned, I tried to transplant the Principle Rice according to the old farmer's advice, and to my surprise, it actually survived, with plump grains and full of vitality. Then I tried the opposite approach and planted flowers and trees, but some withered and some flourished." He pointed to the other large vats.

Having physical evidence is certainly more convincing, and this statement became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The King of the Liang Kingdom looked at the several large vats, paused for a moment, and then said, "Please take a seat, Grand Minister of Agriculture."

After Qiu Yan expressed his gratitude, he walked away calmly, drawing admiring glances from the ministers along the way.

Advising a headstrong monarch is never an easy task; it's thankless and arduous, and one's life hangs in the balance. Pointing out someone's faults is inherently difficult to tolerate, and ordinary people often refuse to listen, let alone a monarch who wields power.

However, those who dare to step forward and offer advice, even if they fail, will be remembered in history, and if they succeed, they will soon become famous worldwide.

After Qiu Yan sat down, the King of the Liang Kingdom asked again, "Where is the Imperial Censor?"

"Your subject is here!" An elderly man, over fifty years old, stepped forward in response.

"My dear minister, how could you have been so negligent in inspecting all the officials?" Liang Kingdom shook his head, his voice laced with reproach. "If it weren't for the words of the Grand Minister of Agriculture, I would have been completely deceived!"

"I am guilty!" The old man readily admitted his mistake by bowing his head.

"I, the King, grant you permission to atone for your crimes through meritorious service," the King of the Liang Kingdom did not readily condemn the old man. As one of the Three Dukes, unlike the Nine Ministers, he was backed by a powerful Aristocratic Clan. "The most urgent task at hand is to quell the unrest. Since the Grand Minister of Agriculture's method is effective, we might as well promote it..."

He paused here, thought for a moment, and then said, "However, we cannot let the officials force us any further. Therefore, we should send someone to post notices about this old farmer's method, so that the common people may know it and allow him to arrange his own farming seasons, following the natural order of the trees and letting them follow their inherent nature..."

Qiu Yan couldn't hear what was said next, because as soon as the King of the Liang Kingdom said those words, Qiu Yan's whole body suddenly trembled, the cold aura surrounding him shattered, and then his Divine Soul drifted out of its cage!

Suddenly, the surrounding scenery gradually faded away like an ink painting.

His Divine Soul floated up and quickly passed through the palace dome, heading upwards. Looking down, he saw the rapidly shrinking capital of the Liang Kingdom. Then his field of vision expanded, and before long, the entire land of the Liang Kingdom appeared.

The ground is crisscrossed with paths, and tiny figures, as small as ants, can be seen scattered everywhere, but there are mostly lush green farmlands.

The next moment, Qiu Yan suddenly felt his Divine Soul dissipate and connect with the outside world. In the Unseen, two great wills came from afar.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Below, in the rice paddies, the Principle Rice trembled in unison, unleashing endless, complex information that flew straight up and merged with the two wills!

Qiu Yan sensed a familiar aura within it.

The Force of Order!

"Is this about to condense into two clusters of Sage Spirit? This world is indeed extraordinary. Could this be the secret of the Scholar Forest?"

Just as Qiu Yan was surprised, a voice came from not far away.

"Well said, 'I am no match for an old farmer!' That Liang ruler is ambitious but incompetent, and stubborn and self-willed, yet you persuaded him with your analogy, 'You worry about the farmers being too diligent and too demanding in issuing orders.' This method is brilliant, from farming to governing officials and the people. This matter will surely be recorded in history and remembered for eternity..."

"Hmm? This person is indeed..." With a Divine Soul, Qiu Yan's senses swept over the area, noticing a figure rapidly approaching—

Who else could that person be but Zhang Qin?

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Note: Examples in the text