Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 180 God-given Literary Spirit
Xiao Shan looked at what Lu Zheng had written, and for a moment he became so excited that even his breathing became heavy.

I still remember the first time Lu Zheng visited him at the academy, he said he wanted to serve the people.

Previously, when Li Zhao and his companions came back, they told him about Lu Zheng's study abroad experience. At that time, he felt that what Lu Zheng did was really to establish a mission for the people, and it was not just empty talk.

In just less than two months, Lu Zheng submitted an answer sheet, making plans for Kaiyang County and ensuring the safety and well-being of the people there.

Xiao Shan and Li Yuan slowly flipped through the booklet, carefully reading its contents.

It was not until more than half an hour later that the two of them finished reading the plan, and they were unable to calm down.

Xiao Shan was filled with emotion, thinking back to the essays he had written, which he considered his best work. It seemed that except for the more ornate words used, they were far less practical than what Lu Zheng had written, which made him feel ashamed of himself.

Li Yuan's throat was dry. He felt that he had been an official for many years, but there was still no young person who could govern the people.

If possible, he would like to give the position of Kaiyang County Magistrate to Lu Zhenglai.

Li Yuan took the tea and drank it all in one gulp, but his mouth was still dry. He looked at Lu Zheng with a complicated expression.

"Lu Zheng, you..."

Li Yuan wanted to say something, but he didn't know what words to use to describe the shock Lu Zheng gave him.

Lu Zheng's expression remained calm as he spoke, "I, Lu, have never served as an official and governed the people. I can only personally investigate various places and, drawing on the experience of others, write down these suggestions. I wonder if there are any inappropriate or unworkable aspects in them. I would appreciate your pointing out any corrections."

Xiao Shan and Li Yuan looked at each other. After reading it, they had not yet fully digested the content, so how could they correct anything?
Xiaoshan looked through Lu Zheng's notes again and couldn't help but feel that Lu Zheng's study abroad was the real study abroad.

How can we write good policies that benefit the country and the people without conducting actual investigations and understanding the local customs and practices?
If I were to travel and discuss learning and philosophy with other scholars, would I really be able to come up with anything? I'm afraid it would just be empty talk.

Xiao Shan couldn't help but say, "What Lu Xiaoyou wrote contains good strategies for governing the country!"

Lu Zheng smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Governing a country? Throughout history, every dynasty has had its share of reformers. However, those predecessors found it difficult to implement their policies and ensure long-term peace and stability for the entire country. This was because they would affect the interests of certain vested interests, and thus reforms were often abandoned halfway."

Xiao Shan was shocked. What Lu Zheng said hit the nail on the head.

The reason he was ostracized and resigned from his official position to return home was because some people were unwilling to give up their own interests and make reforms, and he was unwilling to go along with them.

I didn't expect that Lu Zheng, a young man who had never entered the officialdom, could see things so clearly.

Lu Zheng said softly, "Governing a country is a luxury. What I wrote is based on the situation in Kaiyang County. To govern a county, you need people who work hard and wholeheartedly..."

Lu Zheng turned to look at Li Yuan, bowed, and said sincerely: "Lord Li, as the head of a county, you should love the people like your own children. If you implement even one or two of the strategies I have written, it will make life a little easier for the people."

Li Yuan quickly reached out to support Lu Zheng, saying with shame, "How could I possibly deserve your respect? I should be the one to thank you, Lu Zheng, for doing so much for the people... I'll carry out all the plans you mentioned! I'll make sure they're done well!"

Li Yuan looked excited. He could see that Lu Zheng's plans were very good.

He is not an official who does not seek advancement. If he has the opportunity to make some political achievements, he will naturally be willing to do it.

If he could really make some big changes in Kaiyang County, his career would be much smoother.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng took out another storage bag and handed it to Li Yuan, "This is the gold and silver I got from killing demons. It cost a lot of money to build a county. Please accept it, sir."

Li Yuan waved his hands and said, "Hey, how can I ask you for money for something like this? We've raided a lot of houses recently, and the county government isn't short of money for the time being!"

Lu Zheng's advice and financial support were more thoughtful than that of a county magistrate like him, which made Li Yuan feel really bad.

Lu Zhengdao said, "It's for the common people. Please accept it, sir. I'll have to trouble you to spend this money carefully."

Seeing Lu Zheng say this, Li Yuan couldn't refuse.

He took the storage bag, looked at the money inside, and roughly estimated that it was no less than 100,000 taels of silver.

Li Yuan couldn't help but say, "Having you, Lu Zheng, is a blessing for our Kaiyang County!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "As a Kaiyang County resident, I should do my part for the people."

At this moment, a colorful aura came from the sky and entered Lu Zheng's body in the blink of an eye.

[You have established a mission for the people of this county, your literary spirit +1000!]

Xiao Shan and Li Yuan saw it clearly and felt the fleeting fluctuation of Lu Zheng's aura.

This is the recognition of heaven and earth, and the literary spirit is greatly enhanced!
It is like the sudden enlightenment and breakthrough of other practitioners, but Lu Zheng’s literary aura is a gift from heaven and is even more extraordinary.

It was the first time that Li Yuan had seen a Confucian scholar so much more talented. He couldn't help but wonder, "How much more talented have you become?"

"One zhang." Lu Zheng said.

"One foot..."

Li Yuan thought to himself that if he wanted to gain an extra ten feet of literary energy, he didn't know how much time and energy it would take.

However, Lu Zheng's divine gift of literary energy didn't make him jealous at all; it was as it should be. Xiao Shan, standing beside him, smiled and stroked his beard. He had previously known that Lu Zheng had received the teachings of a sage, but now that he saw Lu Zheng receiving divine literary energy, he didn't seem as surprised as Li Yuan.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Let's talk business!"

Lu Zheng pointed to the plan. Although he had already gained literary power, he still had to do his best to get things done.

Xiao Shan and Li Yuan just took a look at it, and some of the content is still unclear and really needs to be discussed and studied.

So, the three of them sat together, began to review the plan and discuss it.

Qing Wan felt a little bored staying in Lu Zheng's arms, so she ran out to practice on her own.

Xiao Shan and the others had known before that Lu Zheng was accompanied by a small grass spirit, so they were not surprised.

Time passed slowly, and occasionally a servant would come in to add some tea, but he didn't dare to make a sound to disturb the three people.

Until the evening, several people were still discussing in the living room.

After Xiao Qingqing finished her homework, she heard that Lu Zheng and County Magistrate Li had come here. She couldn't help but feel curious, so she came over with a pot of hot tea.

Xiao Qingqing tiptoed and poured tea for the three people. She looked at them curiously, not knowing what they were looking at.

"Grandpa, it's getting late. Do you want to invite the guests to dinner? I can ask someone to prepare the table." Xiao Qingqing said in a low voice.

Xiao Shan glanced sideways and noticed that it was already late. He then turned to look at Lu Zheng and said, "What would you like to eat, young man? I'll have someone prepare it."

Lu Zhengdao said, "We are all cultivators, so it won't be a problem if we skip a meal."

Xiao Shan understood what he said, "Then I'll have someone prepare some magical tea and medicinal soup. We can have a long chat tonight... County Magistrate Li doesn't have any urgent official business, right?"

Li Yuan laughed and said, "No, this is the big deal!"

Compared to what they are discussing now, what are those unprocessed documents in the county government office?
Xiao Qingqing asked: "What big thing are you talking about?"

"The policies that benefit the country and the people were all written by Mr. Lu." Xiao Shan said with a smile, and turned to introduce Lu Zheng, "This is my granddaughter Qingqing. She is good at calligraphy and painting and has some talent."

The two had met before, but they had never introduced themselves to each other.

Lu Zheng greeted her and said, "Hello, young lady."

Xiao Qingqing returned the greeting and said with a smile, "I've been hearing a lot about Mr. Lu lately. I haven't seen him for a while, but he's done so much for me. I admire him so much! I've heard that he's unparalleled in mathematics, and I wonder when I'll have the honor of learning from him..."

When she first met Lu Zheng, Xiao Qingqing felt that this young man who could cultivate such a righteous spirit must be extraordinary.

During this period, Lu Zheng's various deeds spread, which surprised her. She didn't expect that she still underestimated Lu Zheng.

He is capable of both literature and martial arts, and is also proficient in mathematics. Even the difficult questions posed by the scholars of Wu State and the Princess of Fengcheng County are not difficult for Lu Zheng. He is several levels higher than those students of Beishan Academy.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Miss, you're too kind. If you're interested in mathematics, you can write some problems for me when you have time. You'll be able to solve them right away without asking for help."

Xiao Qingqing blinked and said with a smile: "Okay!"

She didn't bother the three of them any longer and left the living room to order someone to prepare spiritual tea and spiritual porridge.

Lu Zheng and the other two chatted until late at night and finally completed the revision of the plan.

Lu Zheng even calculated an approximate cost. With Kaiyang County's current financial situation, a lot can still be done to ensure that many people have enough food to eat.

In this world, it is not easy to ensure that the people are not harassed by evil spirits and have enough food to eat.

To ensure long-term stability in a county and a prosperous life for the people is not something that can be achieved overnight, but needs to be done step by step.

This is the extent of the help Lu Zheng can provide.

How much benefit the people can ultimately get depends on the extent to which the government that manages the people can achieve.

Li Yuan smiled and sorted out the information and plans provided by Lu Zheng.

Seeing this, Xiao Shan said, "Have someone make a few extra copies of the plan and give me one. I want to take a closer look and think about it."

Xiaoshan felt that the plan provided by Lu Zheng was very likely to be promoted to all provinces and counties across the country, allowing Anguo to build a prosperous dynasty!
"Sure, sure!" Li Yuan nodded and said excitedly, "It's the off-season right now, so we can arrange some things right away! I guarantee that by the beginning of next spring, there will be earth-shaking changes in Kaiyang County!"

Lu Zhengdao said, "There are so many things to do. I'm sorry to have to work harder for you, sir."

Li Yuan smiled and said, "It's my job! Don't worry, Lu Zheng. These matters are related to my political achievements. Thanks to you, I will definitely get things done! As long as I am in Kaiyang County, these policies that benefit the people will not change!"

Speaking of which, their Li family is also a well-known family in Hongzhou. In addition to the case of the evil dragon, Li Yuan can now do whatever he wants in Kaiyang County without any worries.

Even Heaven and Earth approve of Lu Zheng's actions. Anyone who stands up and opposes him would be defying Heaven and hindering Li Yuan's career.
Li Yuan would never allow such a thing to happen.

(End of this chapter)