Feng Huai’an stared at the hoe being handed to him, his eyelid twitching three times.
He glanced around at the colleagues who were being “personally taken care of” by straw mannequins, then at the empty space behind him.
No supervisor.
He quietly sighed in relief.
Then he turned his head toward Feng Ze Kai. His son was standing beside his daughter, a faint, gentle smile on his lips—yet it was clearly hiding mischief.
His heart sank.
It was over.
With the siblings teaming up, as their father, he probably couldn’t escape this.
Feng Ze Xuan noticed her father’s “betrayed by his own daughter” expression and curled her lips.
“Dad, I’m doing this for your own good!”
She walked over, took the hoe, weighed it in her hand, then smilingly placed it back into Feng Huai’an’s grip.
She even adjusted his grip carefully.
“You see, you’ve been sitting and reviewing documents for years, and in your free time you weave bamboo baskets. Doesn’t your back often hurt?”
“This is called lumbar muscle strain!”
She patted his shoulder.
“Perfect timing. Swinging a hoe will stretch your muscles, move your blood, and relax your body.”
“Guaranteed that after this, your back won’t ache, your legs won’t hurt, and you’ll be able to weave ten bamboo baskets in one breath without breaking a sweat!”
【Besides, everyone else has ten mu of land. I only gave you five—this is special treatment for my dear father!】
Feng Huai’an’s mouth twitched.
This nonsense logic stacked one layer after another, leaving him unable to refute even a single word.
He lowered his head to look at the hoe, then raised it to look at his daughter’s sincere “I’m doing this for you” face.
In the end, he could only sigh in resignation.
Forget it.
Since his daughter said so, what else could he do?
Meanwhile, Lin Zhengyan, Chu Heng, and the other eighteen “senior students” were watching the newly arrived emperor and imperial censor with extremely complicated expressions.
Shock.
Sympathy.
But more than anything—pure schadenfreude.
It was like prisoners who had suffered finally seeing the emperor himself fall into the same pit.
Xiao Juechen felt those undisguised gazes and his face darkened like ink.
These bastards!
How dare they laugh at him!
“Cough.”
Feng Ze Kai cleared his throat, breaking the strange atmosphere.
Everyone snapped back to reality and quickly restrained their expressions.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Rise,” Xiao Juechen said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the uneven, freshly ploughed fields.
He frowned slightly.
“How long have you all been working here?”
That single question opened the floodgates.
Chu Heng, Minister of Revenue, was the first to speak. He straightened his back, his face glowing with healthy redness, completely different from his usual weary state.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, we have worked here for two days.”
His voice was loud and full of energy.
“My hemorrhoids have improved significantly after using the ‘Chrysanthemum Relief Ointment’ gifted by the Prince!”
He paused, deeply emotional.
“We only slept one hour last night, yet today we feel energetic and clear-minded! The medicine is truly miraculous!”
The others quickly echoed him.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I feel ten years younger!”
“My constipation has greatly improved!”
“I now swing a hoe with more strength than I had in my youth!”
Xiao Juechen was shocked.
These normally listless officials now looked vigorous and full of life.
Feng Ze Xuan stepped forward with a smile, looking like a merchant selling miracle health products.
“Your Majesty, try it and you’ll understand.”
With a thought, golden words appeared in the sky:
Special Mission: The Emperor’s Land Reclamation
Requirement: Cultivate five mu of land; plant ginseng and lingzhi
Reward: Premium Hair Growth Serum ×3, Calming Tea ×10, Dragon Body Strengthening Pills ×5
Failure Penalty: Exclusive straw-man supervisor; dragon butt punishment—10 lashes with a vine
Xiao Juechen’s gaze locked onto the words.
When he saw “dragon butt punishment,” his expression darkened instantly.
This girl was truly audacious!
Humiliation surged in his chest.
But when his eyes moved to “hair growth serum” and “strengthening pills,” his breathing faltered slightly.
He thought of the strands of hair left on his comb every morning.
The exhaustion that lingered during late-night memorial reviews.
The hesitant expressions of the imperial physicians.
After a brief internal struggle—
His desire for thick hair and abundant energy defeated his imperial dignity.
He took the hoe from Liu San and gripped it tightly.
“Very well. I shall try.”
Isn’t it just farming?
He had even dug potatoes before.
Though only symbolically…
However, just as he gripped the hoe, his eyes accidentally drifted toward Feng Huai’an.
His brow jumped hard.
“Prince of the North, why does your father not have a straw-man supervisor behind him?”
His tone was calm, but clearly questioning.
“Everyone else is supervised, yet he alone is exempt. How can such unequal treatment be justified?”
The other eighteen officials immediately looked over as well.
Their eyes filled with longing for “fairness.”
Feng Ze Xuan spread her hands.
“Because he’s my father.”
【He’s my dad, so I protect him. What’s wrong with a little special treatment?】
【Do you all have daughters as capable as me?】
【No? Then endure it!】
This blatant double standard made Xiao Juechen’s chest tighten.
Meanwhile, the officials actually felt a bit of admiration—and envy.
Why wasn’t Feng Ze Xuan their daughter?!
Feng Huai’an, hearing his daughter’s thoughts, lifted his chin slightly, suddenly feeling an indescribable sense of pride.
He cleared his throat and spoke to the emperor in a seasoned tone:
“Your Majesty, you should focus on your work. That supervisor’s vine… tsk, I really wouldn’t want to see you get—”
Before he could finish—
“Feng Huai’an, you’ve gotten bold!”
Xiao Juechen roared, rushing forward and kicking him right on the backside.
“Ah!” Feng Huai’an staggered forward.
Just as the emperor prepared to kick again—
Snap!
A sharp crack echoed across the field.
Everyone turned.
The tall straw supervisor behind Xiao Juechen had struck.
A vine whip landed precisely on him.
A faint numbing heat spread across his imperial “dragon butt.”
It didn’t hurt much—but the humiliation was absolute!
Xiao Juechen froze mid-motion, one leg still raised.
Like he had been petrified.
On the field, the officials pretending to work all struggled to suppress their laughter.
Their shoulders trembled violently.
Chu Heng was especially red-faced, nearly choking from holding it in.
The emperor… really got hit.
By a straw man.
In front of all his ministers.
This job might be physically exhausting—but spiritually? Absolutely satisfying.
Lin Zhengyan secretly glanced at the emperor’s back and quickly lowered his head again, shoulders shaking harder.
Feng Huai’an immediately pretended nothing had happened and started hoeing furiously.
Better to stay alive first. Revenge could wait until after leaving.
Xiao Juechen slowly lowered his leg, his face flushed red enough to drip blood.
But under the circumstances, he could only pretend nothing had happened and begin working.
Hmph.
He would remember this humiliation.
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