Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 208: Rest assured
Zhao Yuming whispered, "You should act more cautiously and avoid causing any major chaos."

Some local landlords and gentry are deeply rooted and may even lead the people into riots.

County Magistrate Zhou smiled upon hearing this, "Could they dare to rebel? That would be even easier to deal with..."

Seeing Zhao Yuming's worried look, County Lieutenant Zhou handed him the storage bag. "Why is County Magistrate Zhao so worried? If something really goes wrong, we'll be there... Look at this wealthy family. They've amassed quite a bit of wealth. They also have accumulated grain and many other properties. After a thorough search, there's even more."

Zhao Yuming glanced at the storage bag and said in surprise, "So many..."

He never thought that he could find so much money from the landlord's house, and this was only part of his family's property.

County Magistrate Zhou laughed and said, "These wealthy families are even more greedy than corrupt officials, and they are more willing to extort money from the people."

Corrupt officials may only be corrupt for a short time, but some landlords and gentry, who occupy a certain area, have been sucking the blood of the country and the people for generations. How can they accumulate less wealth?

Then, County Lieutenant Zhou took out a few sheets of paper and handed them to Zhao Yuming, saying with a smile, "Look, this is the impeachment letter our county magistrate has written for you. In two days, County Magistrate Zhao will have this document presented to the state capital, accusing the actions of our Kaiyang County officials. He will then send people to our county to hold them accountable and cause a big uproar. After that, he'll appease some wealthy families and even get some money from them... I guarantee that we'll completely clear you of any connection, and we'll take all the blame."

County Lieutenant Zhou said quietly, "County Magistrate Zhao can just sign his name and say a few words and stay out of this matter, taking 30% of the silver. We are sincere enough, right?"

Zhao Yuming was speechless for a long time, and finally uttered a few words, "County Magistrate Li is very thoughtful!"

Zhao Yuming had always wanted to gain at least 35% of the profits, but in the end he failed to get what he wanted and ended up with a 3:6 split with Kaiyang County.

As for the remaining 10%, according to Li Yuan, the new policy plans were all proposed by Lu Zheng, so it was necessary to use that 10% of the money to do things in Lu Zheng's name.

It is rare for Kaiyang County to produce a great talent, so Li Yuan naturally wanted to build momentum for Lu Zheng.

Even Lu Zheng himself didn't know about this.

Zhao Yuming didn't know what to say, so he just assumed that both sides asked for half a percentage less.

Giving 10% to Lu Zheng would be easier for him to accept than giving it to Kaiyang County.

Zhao Yuming returned the storage bag to County Lieutenant Zhou and said, "I'm going back to Tongcheng now. You guys should do your best."

"Don't worry, County Magistrate Zhao, we are professionals." County Lieutenant Zhou said with a smile.

Zhao Yuming said no more and gestured to return to the city.

The group hurriedly left and quickly headed for Tongcheng.

County Lieutenant Zhou watched the carriage go away with a smile, shook his head slightly, and thought to himself that this county magistrate was really afraid of trouble. He had to come over to take a look and didn't even send anyone to help them.

After a while, County Lieutenant Zhou rode his horse to the next location and set out again with the waiting troops.

……

"Is everything really fine? Those killers..."

After leaving the provincial government office, Zhang Bo still asked with some concern.

Lu Zhengdao: "It's okay, I'm not that weak, I'm not afraid of more people coming."

Zhang Bo could hear Lu Zheng's confidence, not arrogance.

He then asked, "Where does Brother Lu live now?"

Lu Zheng replied, "I just arrived in the state capital today and haven't found a place to stay yet."

Zhang Bo smiled and said, "That's perfect. Brother Lu, please stay at my house!"

"Your home?" Lu Zheng blinked.

Zhang Bo explained, "My family bought a courtyard in Hongzhou City. I'm staying there for this Autumn Examination. It's much more convenient than staying at an inn or a relative's house."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "Then I, Lu, will shamelessly stay for a few days?"

Zhang Bo laughed and said, "Not to mention a few days, even a few months is fine!"

Zhang Bo paused, then continued, "Come to think of it, I didn't expect Brother Lu to come to the state capital at this time. Did he want to take advantage of the fact that there are so many students in the state capital these days to come and visit?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "I just happened to be there, and I wanted to see the prosperity and bustle of the provincial capital. This autumn, Hongzhou should be able to produce many talents, right?"

Zhang Bo said, "I met some new faces, but compared to Brother Lu, I feel they are still a lot worse... Some of Brother Lu's deeds have spread to the state capital, and many people want to meet you."

"By the way," Zhang Bo continued, "there's a small party tonight. I wonder if Brother Lu is interested in joining?"

Lu Zheng looked at the sky and saw that it was already afternoon, so he said, "Then let's take a break and go take a look."

The two walked along the street for a while when they saw someone running towards them.

When the young man saw Lu Zheng, he excitedly said, "He's back! Master Zheng is back!"

When Lu Zheng saw that it was Liu Zi who had led him the way before, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you see it?"

The young man nodded happily, grinning, "I just went to the city gate and happened to see Mr. Zheng's carriage coming back. So I thought I'd come look for you. I figured since it was your first time in the state capital, you'd definitely be wandering around. And I actually ran into you!"

Lu Zheng thought that this young man was really smart, so he took out a piece of silver and gave it to the young man as a reward.

When the boy saw the silver, his eyes lit up.

But he did not answer it immediately. Instead, he said, "I will take you there first. We can talk to you after we meet the person. Otherwise, you might think I am here to cheat you out of your money."

Lu Zheng smiled when he heard this, "Then take it first and come with me."

Seeing this, the young man no longer refused, happily accepted the silver, and excitedly led the way. Zhang Bo next to him said, "Brother Lu, are you going to look for Mr. Zheng?"

Lu Zheng explained, "I'm bringing a letter to Dean Xiao and also asking for a painting for myself."

Zhang Bo said, "I have paintings by Zheng Dajia at home, and I know him. Let's go together."

Zhang Bo was familiar with all the wealthy families in Hongzhou City, and he had had interpersonal exchanges with most of them.

It is very common for people with family backgrounds to interact with each other.

Even if there is hatred between certain families, it is still a relationship.

Lu Zhengdao: "I'm afraid it will delay Brother Zhang's party tonight."

Zhang Bo waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "It's just some students getting together for tea, wine, and a chat. I've been there so many times before that I didn't really want to go! But when a friend invites me, there's no reason to refuse. Today's a good day, so I have a reason! If I see them tomorrow, I can just explain it."

Zhang Bo was already a little tired of the usual social engagements.

But in order to maintain some relationships, I always have to go.

After all, he represents not only himself but also the family behind him.

"OK then."

Lu Zheng nodded. Noticing the young man in front of him was walking at a fast pace, he couldn't help but smile and said, "You walk so much every day, don't you feel tired?"

The boy replied, "I'm just an errand boy. I'm used to walking so much that I don't feel tired!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "You've had a hard day, coming out to earn money at such a young age."

The boy said, "I'm already sixteen years old!"

"Ok?"

Lu Zheng looked at the boy, who looked to be no more than eleven or twelve years old. It was obvious that he lived in poverty and his body had not kept up with his development.

The young man explained in a low voice, "My parents passed away, and my sister and I have to rely on each other for survival. I originally wanted to be an apprentice and learn a craft, but no one would take me in. They thought I was too young and illiterate. So I took up this job and earned a little money to support my family. It's rare to find someone as generous as you, young master."

"Don't you have any relatives?" Lu Zheng asked.

The young man said, "Yes, but in the countryside, my brother and I would suffer and be bullied. If we stay in the city, we can have our own family and support ourselves."

The young man paused, then grinned and said, "We are considered lucky. There are beggars in the city, and their lives are much harder than mine."

The boy didn’t think life was that bad. Everyone has their own destiny, and they still have to rely on their own efforts.

Lu Zheng asked some more questions, and the boy answered them one by one.

Not long after, the three of them arrived at Zheng Dajia's mansion.

The boy ran to knock on the door again. This time, the old doorman saw the person coming and opened the door directly.

The old doorman said respectfully, "Master Zheng and the old lady just came back and learned about what happened. They said that if they see you again, they will invite you into the mansion. I didn't expect you to come here so soon. Please come in!"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

The young man next to him said, "My two lords, shall I leave now?"

Lu Zheng looked at the boy, took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, "Here, you are a smart kid, you should be able to understand it."

The young man took the paper curiously, stared at it, his mind racing, and he quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, sir!"

He is smart and has seen many words before, but he just can't recognize them.

The piece of paper Lu Zheng gave him allowed him to quickly understand the meaning.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and entered the Zheng Mansion with Zhang Bo.

The young man's eyes sparkled, and when he saw Lu Zheng's figure disappear, he turned around and left happily.

Lu Zheng and Zhang Bo came to a living room, where servants brought them cakes and hot tea.

A steward came over and explained, "The master has just returned and is bathing and changing clothes. I'm afraid you two will have to wait a little longer."

"That's okay." Lu Zheng smiled and said, "We don't have any urgent matters. You guys can go about your own business and don't worry about us."

The steward nodded when he heard this, but he didn't really let the servants in the living room leave. Instead, he asked them to entertain the two guests well.

Zhang Bo had been to Zheng's house several times and was quite relaxed, drinking tea there leisurely. "Mr. Zheng is indeed very famous. His paintings are not only famous in Hongzhou. A good painting of his can sell for thousands of gold..."

Zhang Bo paused, then asked curiously, "Why is Brother Lu here to buy paintings? I remember you didn't seem to have much interest in paintings before?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Calligraphy and painting are inseparable. I've had some free time recently and wanted to learn more. It's always good to have more skills. I heard that Mr. Zheng is good at painting, so I came to visit him and hoped to ask for one or two paintings that I could use."

"I see." Zhang Bo nodded and whispered, "If Brother Lu can't find anything he likes, I have some collections at home you can choose from. But the paintings are all in Changchuan County, so we'll have to go back and talk about it."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's not easy to choose from Brother Zhang's collection."

"Well, make the best use of it. Otherwise, if you leave it there, it will just bury the painting," said Zhang Bo.

(End of this chapter)