Bringing a Treasure to His Door

Agriculture is the foundation of a nation. Only when farmers are well-fed and clothed can this lasting prosperity endure!

Every time Xu Ji met him, Xu Ji would talk about the old ideas and principles of the Agricultural Sect.

Zhang Xuezhou did not refute this, but Zhang Xuezhou did not entirely agree with it either.

People in different positions will have different ways of looking at problems.

If Xu Ji was interested, Zhang Xuezhou thought Xu Ji could say more; in case the new emperor came, he might be able to hear a few words.

However, the new emperor could only hear a few words; it was too difficult for those outside the bureaucratic class to convey their thoughts to the emperor.

Moreover, after experiencing Gongsun Gui attempt, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor would not frequently visit the palace, and that his growing age would allow him to consolidate his throne, preventing him from visiting a minister's residence at night as before.

"Since you care so much about the millions of farmers, why not try teaching more disciples how to make a living and stay warm?" Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"Other sects can get benefits from taking in students, but we in the Agricultural Sect have to beg for favors," Xu Ji sighed. "What talented cultivator would be willing to come to our Agricultural Sect to do this kind of farm work!"

"If the old gentleman didn't set his sights too high, but instead looked down at the common people, every one of them could become a disciple of the Agricultural Sect!" Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I don't have that kind of ability!"

Xu Ji's mustache twitched slightly, clearly indicating his displeasure with Zhang Xuezhou's terrible idea.

"If we taught the people outside the city how to farm that day, they'd be ready to fight you for water the Xu Yuan next day after they learned," Xu Ji, standing beside Xu Ji, shook his head and said, "Teaching should be selective!"

"But the farming skills they learn are real; they might even be able to eat their fill after learning them," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Isn't that exactly what your Agricultural Sect wants to see?"

"This... this..."

No school of thought wants to send out students and raise a bunch of ungrateful wretches. Xu Ji and Xu Yuan had had enough of those unruly people Chang'an City.

But Zhang Xuezhou countered with a question about the tenets of the Agricultural School, leaving the two momentarily at a loss for words.

Their school of thought genuinely aimed to ensure that everyone in the world had enough to eat and wear, but seeing the true nature of many farmers while teaching them made them feel uneasy.

If they continued down this path, the two felt they would definitely get sick.

Moreover, just because someone wants to teach doesn't mean others will listen. There are plenty of people who learn only a smattering of skills and then go off to farm. These incompetent people only come back to ask questions when problems arise, and sometimes they even blame the teachers for the problems.

During the two years that Xu Ji and Xu Yuan taught, they gained the respect of many people, but there were also too many bad apples that made them feel frustrated and upset.

"It seems you want to pass on your skills to thousands of farmers, but it's difficult to stick to it," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"It's so difficult!"

Xu Ji shook his head, then finally nodded.

"Although this may not align with your principles, I must remind you both that individual efforts are far too insignificant. We have spent nearly two years struggling to train the farmers Chang'an City, while the imperial court can establish rules in a short time. Whether these millions of people can have enough to eat and wear in the future will depend on the smooth implementation of the imperial decrees!"

"The imperial court... bah... those who feed on the people's blood and sweat... cough cough!"

Xu Ji clearly disliked Zhang Xuezhou's words, while Xu Yuan shrugged, indicating that he couldn't persuade Xu Ji.

The older a person gets, the stronger their ingrained beliefs become, making them almost impossible to change.

Xu Ji's decision to come to Chang'an was already considered extremely enlightened. Some Agricultural Sect cultivators considered it shameful to curry favor with the imperial court, and would be looked down upon for associating with high-ranking officials. They even felt it was inappropriate to come to a capital city like Chang'an City.

Zhang Xuezhou was already quite familiar with Xu Ji and was skilled at communicating with people, but he displeased Xu Ji after just a few words.

He had no choice but to wisely stop the conversation and instead inquire about Xu Ji's health.

The Supreme Purity True Technique can heal injuries but not diseases; Xu Ji's body was both injured and ill.

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and used his magic to clear some of the bruises and welts from the blows Xu Ji had suffered, but he felt that Xu Ji had ailments in his liver, stomach, and other areas, symptoms that the Supreme Purity True Technique could not treat.

"Zheng Wukong of the Hanging Gourd Sect lives across the street. If you can wait until he returns to Chang'an City, you can ask him to take a look and help you get your health checked out," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You can rest assured and recuperate in Chang'an City; don't worry about food, drink, or lodging!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the house across the street and then whispered a question to Rong Tianding.

If he could keep the people of Zhang Household Village alive for several months, he would give them more than just one house; he would give them three or five houses.

Zhang Xuezhou is extremely generous in his dealings with others; he doesn't care about expenses as long as he can afford it.

"We can squeeze in," Xu Yuan said in a low voice, declining the offer.

"Why are you crowding around? We shouldn't make people uncomfortable if we can solve things with money. It's a waste of time to crowd around while you're trying to recover from an illness," Zhang Xuezhou said.

But there are still so many people in the Zhuangzi!

"Money can be earned again, everything is negotiable!"

Residents near Zhang Xuezhou suffered greatly from the stench of pigs; there were at least three to five houses belonging to the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Buying a house is a simple matter if you're willing to spend the money.

"Cousin, this old Master Xu is very dissatisfied with the imperial court. Quite a few high-ranking officials have come and gone from our area; we might find it difficult to get along with him in the future!"

After receiving the money and sending Xu Yuan choose and buy a house, Rong Tianding couldn't help but whisper a warning.

"Old Master Xu... we can only wait and see what Old Zheng can do," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"How?"

"I think he seems to have symptoms of ascites, and his stomach isn't very good either. This combination of conditions is very troublesome; if it's not treated properly, it's unlikely he'll live for two or three years!"

As people age, their vitality declines, and some previously hidden ailments can develop rapidly.

Stomach problems combined with any other ailment of the internal organs can easily turn into terminal illnesses. Without the restorative power brought about by eating and absorbing nutrients, it is extremely difficult to recover. Even holding Spirit Jade can only stimulate the body to produce vitality, like an old ginseng keeping the body afloat.

Xu Ji was sharp-tongued, but Xu Ji was old and could only focus on recuperating.

If Agricultural Sect has a future, it depends on young people like Xu Yuan who are willing to accept new things in the new era. Xu Ji won't cause Zhang Xuezhou much trouble.

When Rong Tianding mentioned the high-ranking officials who came and went from the Zhang residence, Zhang Xuezhou was genuinely hoping that an official of sufficient caliber would come.

However, apart from the new emperor occasionally taking a liking to his residence, no court officials actually came to visit.

Zhang Xuezhou touched the Tai-level Six-Character Talisman. He thought for a while and decided that he should take the initiative to offer the treasure.

He couldn't enter or leave the palace, but Zhang Xuezhou knew that the new emperor was quite likely to go to the Marquis of Pingyang.

I'm going out for a walk!

As darkness fell, Zhang Xuezhou had just finished dinner with his family, felt it was time to go out.

With connections to Wei Qing, Wei Shao'er, and Chen Zhang, and the fact that the Marquis of Pingyang was not in his residence and there was a lack of people in charge, it wasn't too difficult for him to enter and leave the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

This is the answer he obtained by jumping into the Marquis of Pingyang to escape last month.

The new emperor would leave the palace either in the evening or at dawn, so if Zhang Xuezhou wanted to happen to be there, he really had to go to the Marquis of Pingyang during that time.