Zhang Jiao then shook his head, dismissing the idea. Without official approval, arbitrarily using the emperor's name would likely bring trouble.

As the group talked, Zhang Jiao walked toward an old man on a ridge in the field. The old man had gray hair, skin tanned bronze by the sun, and somewhat cloudy eyes. He looked at the crops in the field with a hopeful expression on his face.

Zhang Jiao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Old man, this humble Taoist greets you!"

"Oh, I've met the three esteemed individuals!"

Seeing that Zhang Jiao was dressed in a Taoist robe and had an extraordinary demeanor, the old man figured he must be a virtuous person and quickly returned the greeting.

Zhang Jiao nodded and asked, "Does the old man cultivate this field himself?"

The old man smiled and nodded, "That's right, it was planted by me and my two sons."

"It seems this year should be a bumper harvest!"

"Yes! It's been so many years since we've had such a good year. It's not easy!"

The old man sighed softly, then said hopefully, "If it weren't for the current emperor's ascension to the throne, we common people would not know how long we would have had to wait for this day. Now that the emperor cherishes us, life should get better and better!"

Zhang Jiao was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the emperor to have such a high reputation among the people. If..., the thought in Zhang Jiao's mind was rekindled once again.

After chatting with the old man for a while, Zhang Jiao left the place to continue preaching.

Along the way, Zhang Bao excitedly said, "Brother, now that the people are living in peace and stability, I think it will be of great help to us in spreading our doctrines."

Zhang Liang looked at Zhang Bao with a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

“Think about it, if people have enough to eat, they won’t be homeless or starving, and naturally they won’t do anything evil. Isn’t that exactly in line with our doctrine?”

Moreover, if people have surplus grain in their homes, they will also have the ability to do good deeds. Wouldn't our ideal of a peaceful world then be realized?

Zhang Bao excitedly described a scene of everyone doing good and the world being at peace, which made Zhang Jiao yearn for it as well.

At this moment, Zhang Jiao was merely a man with his own beliefs. Compared to the chaos of the world, he seemed to prefer this peaceful and stable life, and the people lived a fulfilling and happy life under the guidance of his thoughts.

"When everyone does good, the world will be at peace!"

Zhang Jiao muttered a few words, then turned and headed towards Luoyang. He wanted to go to Luoyang to see if the lives of the people under the emperor's nose were as he had imagined.

At the same time, Zhang Jiao's ambition rose again. He wanted to find ways to gain the emperor's support and make his doctrines the mainstream ideology of the Han Dynasty.