Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 11: Serving the People
Lu Zheng took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Come in." A strong male voice came from a distance.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng gently pushed open the door and entered the courtyard.

In the small courtyard, a lush peach tree is in full bloom, with some pink peach petals scattered on the ground.

A handsome middle-aged man and a pretty girl were sitting under a peach tree, enjoying the flowers and drinking tea.

Xiao Shan looked up at Lu Zheng, feeling a little surprised, because he found that Lu Zhengwen's aura was completely reserved, and he couldn't see through it easily.

Although he was curious, he didn't want to be rude and investigate carefully.

Lu Zheng came closer and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior greets the dean."

Xiao Shan smiled and waved his hand, "Sit down!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng sat down next to him, sitting upright and serious.

Next to him, a girl brought a cup of tea.

Lu Zheng took it and nodded politely, "Thank you!"

The girl smiled sweetly upon hearing this and said crisply, "You're welcome. This is freshly roasted peach blossom tea. It's delicious."

Lu Zheng took a sip and was greeted by a faint fragrance of peach blossoms, fresh and elegant, refreshing to the heart.

Xiao Shan looked at Lu Zheng and smiled, "As the old saying goes, if you don't make a sound, you'll be nothing. But if you do, you'll start a fire. It's rare that our Kaiyang County can produce such a talented person."

Lu Zheng said modestly: "At my age, I can't be considered outstanding for being admitted as a scholar."

Xiao Shan chuckled and asked, "I heard that you became a scholar of heaven and earth because you were inspired by reading the books of sages?"

Most of the scholars of heaven and earth achieved breakthroughs because they wrote good poems and essays and were recognized by heaven and earth.

There are not many people like Lu Zheng who can become a scholar of heaven and earth by reading the books of sages and gaining insights.

"I guess so." Lu Zhengdao.

"Is it? Why do you say that?" Xiao Shan was puzzled.

Lu Zheng replied, "In fact, I rarely read books of sages, and my talent is not worth mentioning."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shan and the girl both had a strange look on their faces.

Being humble is a good thing, but one should not be too humble.

You are a scholar with a touch of literary talent, but you still don't have talent. Then what kind of person is that?

Lu Zheng continued, "As the Analects says, 'Zilu had heard, but was not able to put it into practice; he feared he had heard it.' The younger generation is far inferior to Zilu. Reading the books of sages, the more I read, the more confused I become..."

After hearing this, Xiao Shan actually agreed with Lu Zheng's words. He had studied for many years, but still felt that he had many shortcomings and could not learn all the classics of the sages. He was often confused.

"That's why I, as a younger generation, hardly read books by sages. I only learn one or two words from them, and I've already done my best," Lu Zheng explained.

Xiao Shan raised his eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

Lu Zheng's expression was calm. "I am good at cultivating my noble spirit."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng's righteous spirit surged out like a tide.

"A noble and upright spirit!" Xiao Shan exclaimed in surprise. Even though he was knowledgeable and experienced, he couldn't avoid losing his composure.

He had met many Confucian and Taoist scholars and great Confucian scholars, but not many of them could cultivate the spirit of righteousness.

He was also cultivating the righteous spirit, but there was only a hint of righteousness in his literary spirit, nothing like Lu Zheng, whose literary spirit was completely transformed into righteousness.

Just learning a few words from the sages is already a height that many scholars cannot reach in their entire lives... Xiaoshan's heart was restless. The girl next to him was also shocked, her mouth wide open, and she was stunned.

Lu Zheng restrained his breath and said, "I am grateful to the dean for his appreciation of my willingness to meet you. However, apart from my two feet of literary talent, I am really not very knowledgeable. I haven't read the classics for a long time. I am afraid that I will be laughed at by the academy... Therefore, I don't want to enroll for the time being."

Xiao Shan originally wanted to see what kind of person Lu Zheng was. If he was suitable, he would recruit him into the academy and teach him personally.

Now it seems that the other party has no intention of joining the academy at all.

Moreover, Xiao Shan felt that he couldn't possibly teach such a scholar. What virtue and ability did he have...

Xiao Shan couldn't help but ask, "I see you're quite confident and seem to have a plan. What are you going to do next?"

Although it was a pity that Lu Zheng was unwilling to enroll, Xiaoshan valued talents when he met such an outstanding scholar, and wanted to see if there was any way he could help.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "These are turbulent times, the world is unsettled, demons are everywhere, and the people are suffering. I want to emulate the ancient sages and travel around the world... However, my strength is still limited, so I want to travel around the villages of Kaiyang County first, slaying demons and evil, and serving the people."

[You have ambitions and wish to serve the people. Literary Aura +50!]

Xiao Shan's heart was shocked, and he vaguely felt the fluctuation of literary energy from Lu Zheng.

The scholar's words are well-written and prove that they are not just empty talk, but are recognized by heaven and earth.

Expressing one's aspirations does not mean bragging. You don't have that ability. If you insist on saying something about bringing peace to the world for eternity, not only will your literary style fail, but you will also become a laughing stock.

Xiaoshan originally thought that Lu Zheng would concentrate on studying at home, but he actually wanted to travel and study, slay demons and eliminate evil, and do things that serve the people.

Xiaoshan looked a little dazed. When he was young, he also had great ambitions. However, after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, he no longer had such youthful aspirations. He only lived in this county to teach and educate people.

"Cultivate a noble spirit, and be in harmony with righteousness and the Tao. You want to eliminate evil and serve the people, but do you know the dangers involved?" Xiao Shan said softly.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Just because it's dangerous doesn't mean we can't go? This is my Confucianism. Although I'm afraid of death, I'm not afraid of it either..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shan sighed, "Mencius said, 'Those who sacrifice their lives for righteousness...' You said you don't read much of the sages' books, but you really do."

Xiao Shan really wanted to keep Lu Zheng, but as Lu Zheng said, this was his Confucianism, and a place like a college was not conducive to Lu Zheng's growth.

He thought for a moment, then reached out and took off a smooth white jade pendant from his waist. "I'm very happy to have spoken to you today. I'll give this jade to you. Wear it well!"

The first time they met, he gave Lu Zheng a personal jade pendant as a gift, which already showed how much Xiao Zheng valued Lu Zheng.

"This..." Lu Zheng also understood the meaning of the jade gift, but for a moment he didn't dare to reach out to take it.

"What? Do you think the things I've worn are not good?" Xiao Shan pretended to be angry.

"Junior dare not, thank you for the gift, senior!" Lu Zheng hurriedly bowed respectfully and took the jade pendant with both hands.

Xiao Shan said calmly: "Wear it carefully. If you really encounter any danger, it may keep you safe."

As a Jinshi who has reached the fourth level of Confucianism and Taoism, how could the jade Xiaoshan wear is an ordinary item?
Even ordinary jade will become extraordinary if worn and nurtured for many years.

Lu Zheng naturally understood, which was why he was embarrassed to answer the call before.

Now that he had received the jade pendant and was being watched by Xiao Shan, he couldn't keep it in his pocket, so he had to wear it around his waist.

"Then I'll take my leave." Lu Zheng said.

Now that I have persuaded Xiaoshan not to enter the academy, it will be easy to report back to Li Yuan.

"If your heart is not here, how can I keep you?" Xiao Shan waved his hand.

"Junior, take your leave!" Lu Zheng stood up and bowed again.

(End of this chapter)