Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 200: Suffering from a Bronchitis
Nearing Tongcheng, Lu Zheng discovered that this county town was half the size of Kaiyang City.

There are a lot more people coming in and out, and you need to queue up to enter the city.

Lu Zheng took a quick glance and saw that most of these people were merchants, who must have come to Tongcheng to do business.

Lu Zheng followed a team slowly towards the city gate.

After walking for a while, I realized that this was a queue to pay the city entrance fee, not any entry inspection.

There is no entrance fee to enter Kaiyang County.

Lu Zheng was a little surprised. Does a rich county like Tongcheng need to do this?
Seeing the person in front of him take out three cents and enter the city smoothly, Lu Zheng also took out three cents and prepared to throw them into the wooden barrel for paying money later.

There was already a layer of money piled up in the wooden barrel, and the amount was quite a bit.

When it was Lu Zheng's turn, the city guard standing by the barrel suddenly asked, "A scholar from outside the city?"

"Yeah." Lu Zheng responded.

The guard said, "Go in, you don't need to pay."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask curiously: "Why?"

The guard patiently explained, "Locals and scholars don't have to pay an entrance fee."

"I see." Lu Zheng nodded. "But I haven't even produced my credentials. It's not a good idea for you to just let me in."

"Uh..." The guard was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "This young man is obviously a scholar, so why would he need any credentials? Besides, who would pretend to be a scholar for three cents? That's illegal! Ordinary people don't have the temperament of a scholar, right?"

He has been standing guard at this city gate for so many years, so how come he has the keen eyesight to tell who is a scholar and who is not.

At one of the city gates, a tall man heard the noise and couldn't help but look towards Lu Zheng.

After seeing Lu Zheng's appearance clearly, he hurriedly stepped forward.

"Mr. Lu!" the man said respectfully.

Lu Zheng looked at the man. He was someone he had seen before, the guard beside Zhao Ru.

The guard said, "The eldest lady asked me to wait for Master Lu here. Please do me the honor of visiting your house."

"This, okay."

It’s hard to refuse such a kind invitation... Lu Zheng thought that Zhao Ru was quite hospitable. He arrived in the city two days late, but the other party had already sent people to wait here.

The guard was delighted and said, "Master Lu, please follow me. The carriage is ready."

The guard brought Lu Zheng into the city. Not far from the city gate, there was a carriage waiting.

The guard drove the carriage and took Lu Zheng to Zhao's mansion.

When they arrived at the mansion, Zhao Ru learned that Lu Zheng had come, and she happily brought people to greet him.

"A distinguished guest has arrived. Mr. Lu, please come with me to the living room and have a cup of hot tea." Zhao Ru said with a smile.

Lu Zheng took out a wooden box and handed it over. "I dare not be impolite when visiting your house. I copied a poem as a literary treasure. Please don't despise it, young lady."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru quickly took it in her own hands and said, "Master Lu's treasure is extremely precious. At the beginning, even the people of Wu were afraid to accept it because of his righteous spirit... I will shamelessly accept such a gift."

Zhao Ru invited Lu Zheng to sit in the living room again.

"The other day, I showed Father Young Master Lu's policy plans. He was very pleased and wanted to have a good chat with you... I've already sent someone to tell Father that he should be back from the yamen at noon. You can stay for a while."

Lu Zheng smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your father is a good official."

The fact that she is interested in his policies does not mean she is stupid at all.

Zhao Ru whispered, "To be honest, sir, my father is from Tai'an. He was sent out as an official and has always been homesick. He said that even if he could just return to Tai'an City and become a minor official, it would be nice. However, after so many years, perhaps the higher-ups have forgotten about him, making it difficult to transfer... So, my father wants to achieve some political achievements to attract their attention."

Lu Zhengdao said, "Tong County is rich, so it shouldn't be difficult to achieve some political achievements, right?"

Zhao Ru smiled bitterly and said, "On the contrary, it is precisely because of our prosperity that it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve better political achievements..."

Lu Zheng thought about it and it seemed to make sense.

"This is just my humble opinion. Actually, I don't know much. Just listen to it, sir." Zhao Ru said again.

Lu Zhengdao: "Young lady, you are very insightful. There is no need to underestimate yourself."

At this time, a servant came with a tray with a thick stack of papers on it.

Zhao Ru explained, "I heard that Master Lu wanted to buy some paper. This is the best tribute paper in Tong County. You can take it and use it. It will save you the trouble of buying it yourself. Besides, this kind of paper is not easy to buy."

Lu Zheng looked at the stack of tribute paper that exuded spiritual energy and said, "This paper is not cheap, right?"

Zhao Ru smiled and said, "I bought it from a local merchant. The price is not expensive for acquaintances, but it is not as precious as the cultural treasure given by the young master..."

Lu Zheng turned around and asked, "When I entered the city before, I found that there was an entrance fee. Can you explain this to me, young lady?"

Zhao Ru's face showed a hint of surprise. She said, "Tong County is wealthy, so the taxes paid are also higher. The county government's finances are not good right now, so my father is doing this. He is just collecting a small fee from outsiders, not because he wants to take advantage of that little bit of money..."

"Financial problems?"

Lu Zheng's expression changed slightly. He was surprised that the government of a wealthy county would be out of money.

Zhao Ru couldn't help but say, "I don't know the details either. I'll wait for my father to come back and let him explain it to you, young master."

"Okay." Lu Zheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Seeing this, Zhao Ru changed the subject and started talking about other things.

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing the official uniform of a county magistrate and with a slightly fat figure walked quickly into the hall.

"Father!"

When Zhao Ru saw the person coming, she quickly stood up to greet him.

Zhao Yuming looked at Lu Zheng and said with a smile on his face: "This must be Lu Zheng, Mr. Lu, right? Oh, he is really a handsome man..."

"County Magistrate Zhao!" Lu Zheng stood up and saluted.

"Sit down! You're welcome!" Zhao Yuming greeted with a smile, "I've been wanting to see you for a long time!"

Zhao Ru waved her hand to dismiss the other servants and served them personally.

Zhao Yuming sat down next to Lu Zheng and said, "I've reviewed your policy plans. They're excellent! I think Tong County should follow suit. I'm planning... What do you think, Master Lu?"

Lu Zheng listened carefully and found that Zhao Yuming didn't want to change much, he just wanted to implement a few simple plans.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say: "The county magistrate can do more."

"We don't have any money!" Zhao Yuming said in embarrassment, "Our Tong County is not like your Kaiyang County. I heard that you alone donated hundreds of thousands of taels of silver? I can't find anyone like that..."

"Where is the government's money?" Lu Zheng asked.

Zhao Yuming counted on his fingers and explained, "A large portion of the taxes collected goes to the salaries of county officials and the county school...there's no surplus left."

"Although Tong County is wealthy, many wealthy families in the countryside are exempt from some taxes, so the money collected by the government is actually not much. Without money, nothing can be done..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but wonder, "The county magistrate can't collect money from the wealthy, so he's trying to collect taxes from other places?"

Zhao Yuming smiled awkwardly and sighed, "It's really a helpless move."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Tong County is full of gentry. They possess a vast amount of wealth, which is detrimental to both the country and the people. This is no longer a minor problem, but a nasty ulcer that must be eradicated."

"Uh……"

Zhao Yuming's expression changed slightly. Was this asking him to take action against those wealthy local gentry?
There are some things that he knows, but it is difficult for him to do.

Zhao Yuming whispered, "That being said, what reason can I give them to pay?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "The county magistrate sent people to arrest ten wealthy families. I'm afraid at least nine of them have committed crimes such as oppressing the innocent, encroaching on good farmland, buying low and selling high. Can't the county magistrate find a reason to do so?"

"This one……"

Zhao Yuming said helplessly, "It's not that I haven't thought about this. Those wealthy gentry are closely connected, and their connections reach all the way to the city. Even though I'm the county magistrate, there's nothing I can do about it... It's not easy, it's not easy!"

Zhao Yuming thought Lu Zheng had some good suggestions, but they were all the same old stuff.

Some things are easier said than done.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but wonder, "The county magistrate is from Tai'an, the capital. Could it be that he has no connections at all? Is he still afraid of these little people causing trouble?"

I heard Zhao Ru say before that her father was from Tai'an. He is from the capital, but he is so timid in doing things. Could it be that he has no connections in Tai'an at all?

Zhao Yuming said, "It's somewhat related, but Tai'an is far from Tong County. As the saying goes, even a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake... Young man, you haven't been in the officialdom, so you don't know the ways of the world. Sometimes, being too stubborn can lead to failure!"

"A county magistrate would rather break than bend." Lu Zhengdao.

Zhao Yuming's expression froze and he was speechless for a moment.

He just wanted to make some political achievements so that he could be transferred back to Tai'an.

I don't want to offend some local gentry because of something, and then suddenly die at home one day for no apparent reason, or be impeached and banished to a poor place...

This kind of thing has happened before.

Zhao Ru, who was standing next to them, couldn't help but frown when she heard the conversation between the two. She felt a little disappointed with her father for some reason.

Zhao Yuming took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Mr. Lu is a smart man. I hope he can understand my difficulties."

Lu Zheng nodded calmly. He couldn't expect all officials to be so upright and honest, to think about the people and not hesitate to offend the powerful.

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this. If the county magistrate is willing, I can write a letter to County Magistrate Li in Kaiyang County and ask him to make plans for you. You can discuss it... County Magistrate Li is quite experienced in this kind of matter."

One person's power is limited, and Lu Zheng can't help much, so he wants Li Yuan to give some advice.

"Oh? Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Lu." Zhao Yuming was delighted when he heard that.

He learned from Zhao Ru about many recent events in Kaiyang County. He heard that Li Yuan had made a big move and raided many wealthy families because of some demon case, but no one dared to stand up and oppose it.

Zhao Yuming and Li Yuan had met several times, but they were not familiar with each other.

Zhao Yuming smiled and said, "I'll also write a letter and have my confidant deliver it as quickly as possible...Xiaoru, please entertain Mr. Lu well. I'll be back soon."

Zhao Yuming left the living room and found one of his trusted aides. He had a long talk with the aide and gave him a lot of instructions.

Afterwards, the aide quickly headed to Kaiyang County with the letters from Lu Zheng and Zhao Yuming.

(End of this chapter)