Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 225: I will take responsibility for the abuse

Su Ming looked at Lu Zheng and said, "Those people are all outstanding students taught by famous teachers. Young people like you are rare."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I have no shortage of masters either."

"Oh? Who?" Su Ming asked curiously.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Everything I see and hear, everyone and everything in the world, can serve as my teacher. When I meet a good person, I learn from their strengths. When I meet an evil person, I reflect on myself and correct my mistakes... As the saying goes, you never stop learning, it's just that what we learn varies."

Su Ming laughed heartily and nodded, "That makes sense! Lu Zheng, you can also be my mentor and helpful friend!"

"By the way, why did the saint give you literary energy?" Su Ming asked.

"This..." Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, does your Excellency also not know?"

He really didn't know why the saint recognized him.

Su Ming shook his head, wondering how he could know the saint's thoughts?
He smiled and took Lu Zheng to a study.

Su Ming brought out two documents and said, "Look, they are from Kaiyang County and Tong County."

Lu Zheng opened the documents and took a look. One of them was an impeachment document from the magistrate of Tong County, impeaching the officials of Kaiyang County for crossing the border to enforce the law and killing and arresting local gentry.

The other letter was a defense letter from the Kaiyang County magistrate, saying that he was enforcing the law impartially and had done nothing wrong.

"Ok?"

Lu Zheng thought about it for a while and figured out the connection.

Su Ming next to him asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Your Excellency should send someone to investigate this matter. You can't just trust one side."

"Hey..." Su Ming chuckled, "Why bother checking? This is just an act! The two documents were delivered by the same person. This matter has something to do with you, right?"

At first, when Su Ming saw these two documents, he felt confused.

But after thinking about it carefully, I guessed what was going on.

Lu Zheng nodded and admitted, "It's somewhat related."

Su Ming smiled and said, "I was saying that with their brains and courage, there's no way they could do such a thing."

"I know a thing or two about the situation in Tong County. The taxes paid are getting less and less every year. I can only say that the killing was done well."

"However, the situation in the counties and towns throughout Hongzhou isn't much better, especially the capital. It appears prosperous on the surface, but it's actually tainted by filth and corruption."

"A couple of days ago, we took the opportunity to arrest some people, but that doesn't address the root cause. You're smart, do you have any suggestions?"

Su Ming looked at Lu Zheng with burning eyes, wanting to hear Lu Zheng's opinion.

Lu Zhengdao: "Sir, do you want to crack down on them?"

Su Ming said, "I think so, but I'm afraid I'll overdo it and get the opposite effect! It's not easy for me to be a governor... In the past, I would have killed those people with my sword long ago."

In fact, none of the wealthy families in Hongzhou City are clean.

He wants to carry out a major overhaul, but the person who will be brought down in the end will most likely be him, the governor.

The literary officialdom is even darker than the battlefield.

Lu Zheng pondered silently. This problem has existed in every dynasty.

In some dynasties, even the emperor had to bow his head and compromise with the aristocratic families.

In the end, the ones who get hurt are the people of the world.

Lu Zheng asked, "Does your Excellency have evidence of their crimes?"

Su Ming replied, "There is some conclusive evidence, but they are all minor matters, insignificant and insignificant. They would still dare to do it even if they were sentenced... For some others, we can't find complete evidence."

Lu Zhengdao: "Can I take a look?"

Su Ming quickly called a confidant and whispered a few words to him.

The confidant left quickly and brought back a storage bag.

There was a large box of files piled up in the storage bag.

Su Ming said: "These are all copies. You can take them back and read them slowly. Just don't leak them to others."

Lu Zheng took out a few files and looked through them, frowning slightly. This was no different from the Records of Officials.

However, the result of the officials' actions was not a good one.

Seeing Lu Zheng's expression, Su Ming couldn't help but say, "If you can't think of a solution, then forget it..."

He also felt that asking Lu Zheng for help with advice was a bit embarrassing.

If those wealthy and powerful families were easy to discipline, the world would have been peaceful long ago.

Lu Zheng put away the storage bag and said, "Let me do it."

"What?" Su Ming was stunned.

Lu Zhengdao said, "My Lord, you have to maintain peace and stability. Since some things are inconvenient to do, let me do them. I'll take the blame."

Su Ming stood up immediately, "What do you want to do?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Just do something fair, and the adults will watch."

Su Ming couldn't help but say, "This...you must not take this risk!"

He couldn't help but think of Lu Zheng's previous behavior on the street, and regretted giving out these files. Lu Zheng was a very upright person!
He didn't think Lu Zheng alone could withstand the pressure from the entire state capital's powerful families, not to mention that there were also people from other countries causing trouble.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly, "I know what's going on. You don't have to worry, and I won't embarrass you."

Su Ming couldn't help but say, "You'd better return the file to me. I only asked you for advice, not to put yourself in danger. If anything happens to you... it will be a loss for Hongzhou."

Lu Zheng received the gift from the saint, so as long as you are not stupid, you will not provoke Lu Zheng.

But what if someone is not afraid of death and insists on attacking Lu Zheng...

Lu Zhengdao: "Even if you don't give me the files, I will do these things."

Su Ming thought about it after hearing this. Considering Lu Zheng's hatred of evil, it seemed to be true.

"However, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be a lot of people here during this period, so let everyone have a good holiday." Su Ming said.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I think the most important thing is to let those who have been wronged have a good holiday."

Su Ming opened his mouth, speechless. He sighed and said, "Never mind. I won't stop you, but don't worry, I will help you withstand the pressure and guard against those in the dark. After all, this is my business. At worst, I can just quit my job as an official."

"Your Excellency is righteous!" Lu Zheng said.

Su Ming felt ashamed, "How can I deserve the name of righteousness?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Doing something like this is inherently difficult. It involves risking one's life and property. Your Excellency's willingness to do so is already a sign of righteousness."

Lu Zheng stood up and said, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Seeing this, Su Ming said, "Okay, remember to be careful."

Lu Zheng nodded and quickly left the provincial government office.

After Lu Zheng left, Su Ming raised his hand and made a gesture.

A guard wearing a mask suddenly appeared, his figure like a ghost.

Su Ming's face was gloomy. "All six of you go protect Lu Zheng. Even if you all die, he won't be left without a single hair."

"Sir, here..." the guard whispered.

Su Ming said calmly, "I'm the governor of the state. Do they really dare to take my life? At most, they can drive me out and then try to kill me. As long as I'm in office, they can't do anything."

Having been in officialdom for so long, how could Su Ming not know the methods used by those people?

The guard said no more and quietly retreated.

……

"So, he just went to watch the ceremony and didn't do anything, but the sage gave him the gift of literary talent and made him a juren?"

When Yang Heng heard the report from the visitor, his face became extremely ugly.

He came to Hongzhou again on purpose to make some new arrangements and to find out the secrets of Lu Zheng.

If you learn about this kind of thing, you will be dumbfounded.

If he had known this would happen, he should have paid more money and had someone kill Lu Zheng to put an end to it.

As a result, the man was not killed, but was valued by the Saint Anguo, who gave him a holy gift and made him famous.

Recently, due to Lu Zheng's influence, some Wu's spies were caught by the Anguo government.

It's not worth it... Yang Heng felt a tightness in his chest.

He lowered his voice and said, "We can't keep this child here. Send the assassins! If necessary, we can use those chess pieces..."

"The provincial capital has been conducting strict inspections recently. We sent people to investigate before, but they also felt monitored, so we may not be able to take action." Someone said.

Yang Heng said coldly, "What I want is the result, not the reason! You must do it before I leave here!"

"Yes, sir." Several people in the room responded.

Yang Heng waved his hand impatiently, "Go down, as for how to plan, you should know better than me."

Several people quickly retreated.

Yang Heng felt depressed and sighed, "Lu Zheng, why aren't you from Wu?"

Even though Yang Heng wanted to kill Lu Zheng, he had to admire Lu Zheng's abilities and methods.

He was willing to treat him as a national hero, but he could not subdue a righteous scholar like Lu Zheng.

……

Outside Hongzhou City, a group of people were driving slowly.

In the spacious carriage sat a man and a woman.

The man had a handsome face but was a little fat, and looked to be about thirty years old.

He was dressed in gorgeous clothes, sitting there with his body straight and a stiff expression, looking a little uneasy.

Opposite, a cold woman was sitting there, holding a white fox in her arms, slowly stroking the fox's fur.

The white fox lay on the woman's thighs, with a dazed look and a lazy look.

"Aunt, we're about to arrive in Hongzhou City."

The man whispered softly.

An Jing raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the man, "I understand. You are about to become a governor, can you please be a little more dignified? Also, don't call me aunt, are you afraid that others will not know my identity?"

An Dingyuan forced a smile, "How could I dare to act so arrogant in front of Miss Huang?"

As a royal heir, he knew the eldest princess very well. She was most like the emperor, decisive and resolute in her actions.

If you make the other person unhappy, you will suffer.

Besides, he was still a junior, so he didn't dare to put on airs in front of An Jing.

An Jing said calmly, "Since I've given you the position of governor, you have to do your job well, understand?"

"must."

An Dingyuan nodded repeatedly, but his mood was extremely complicated.

He was originally living a carefree life at home, but was given such a position for no apparent reason. It was An Jing who arranged it for him specially, so he didn't dare to refuse.

……

The road is wide and people are passing by, chatting as they walk.

"Today's trip was truly not in vain. Someone else actually received a gift from the Saint. It's truly like the God of Literature descended to earth!"

"That Lu Zheng, I heard he's quite remarkable. He once dared to make a bully like that kneel down in the street..."

"Hey, I heard he..."

In the carriage, the white fox that was originally lying down suddenly pricked up its ears, and its eyes sparkled with a strange light.

An Jing glanced sideways and listened to the conversation of passers-by outside.

She was a little surprised that Lu Zheng was actually endowed with literary energy by the ancestors, something she had no idea about.

(End of this chapter)