Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 230: Changes on all sides
Hongzhou City was filled with an atmosphere of oppression and tension.

It was supposed to be a day worth celebrating, but there was not much excitement in the city.

After receiving some news, many students who were celebrating outside rushed back home to avoid encountering someone.

Lu Zheng came to the gate of a large courtyard with an invitation in his hand and knocked gently on the door.

Not far behind Lu Zheng, there were many onlookers, both openly and secretly.

Some ordinary people heard some rumors and came to see what was going on out of curiosity.

After a few breaths, the side door opened a crack.

A steward appeared and looked at Lu Zheng respectfully, "Excuse me, sir. The master is not feeling well and the mansion is not receiving guests for the time being. Please come back in a few days."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "Really? It just so happens that I, Lu, know a little bit about medicine and can provide free medical treatment for your master."

The steward's expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile and said, "Don't bother me, Master. The Master has already taken his medicine and is resting..."

"Really?" Lu Zheng looked at the manager calmly.

The steward felt uneasy and said with evasive eyes, "How dare I lie to you, sir? The master is really ill and can't entertain guests."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng said calmly, "Well, I'll come visit you another day. I hope your master's illness will get better soon."

After saying that, Lu Zheng turned and left.

The manager breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lu Zheng leave.

He quickly closed the door and hurried to the mansion to report.

A middle-aged man was lying on the bed, his face was pale and he looked very ill.

The steward came to the door and whispered, "Master, he came and left again..."

The middle-aged man sat up in shock, "He really came? He left?"

The steward did not dare to hide anything and told the whole story in detail.

The middle-aged man frowned when he heard this. "Is that all he said? Just him?"

The steward said, "That's all he said. He came alone, but there were some onlookers outside. I didn't see any officials."

The middle-aged man was still feeling uneasy. Even the heads of several big families had gone to the provincial government, and there was still no news.

Many people from several of these families were arrested by officers and soldiers. How could Lu Zheng leave so easily when he came to their home?

Come back another day? Next time, you won't bring soldiers with you, right? The middle-aged man was panicking.

The middle-aged man looked worried and asked, "What about the provincial government? Isn't there anyone going to object?"

The steward whispered, "The latest news is that someone seems to have gone there, but he went to the provincial government office and hasn't come out yet. I'm afraid he's been arrested, but I don't know if this is true or not."

The middle-aged man murmured, "Hongzhou City is about to be turned upside down..."

The middle-aged man was restless and said, "Send more people out to inquire about the news. Also, ask someone to bring me some tranquilizing pills. I can't take it anymore. I'm really sick..."

……

As evening approached, the entire provincial government was still busy.

A carriage came galloping and stopped at the gate of the provincial government office.

Afterwards, the governor got out of the carriage and quickly entered the provincial government office to find Su Ming.

He was admiring the chrysanthemums outside the city in the afternoon. When he heard that such a big thing had happened in the city in just half a day, he hurried back.

He was about to be transferred, but he didn't want any major chaos to happen in Hongzhou during this last period of time, which would become a stain on his political achievements.

When the governor saw Su Ming, he couldn't help but ask, "Master Su, what on earth are you trying to do? You've actually arrested so many people from aristocratic families? I heard you've jailed Patriarch Gao, Patriarch Wang, and... all of them? Are you crazy?"

Su Ming blinked and smiled, "Sir Governor, please don't speak carelessly. It was their own family that committed the crime and came to surrender. I didn't send people to arrest them... As for the others, I was enforcing the law impartially and arrested them."

"You..." the governor glared, "I heard that you sent Lu Zheng to those families, using the Holy Gift to coerce them? Even if you wanted to suppress them, you shouldn't have dragged a young man into it."

Su Ming sighed upon hearing this, "Why do you all think that I was the one who asked Lu Zheng to do these things behind the scenes? Of course, I do have some responsibility for this..."

He never expected that Lu Zheng's actions were so agile that all the families in the city dared to go there.

The governor was surprised and asked, "If it's not you, who else could it be? Don't tell me that it was Lu Zheng who wanted to deal with those noble families in Hongzhou, and that you, Lord Su, were just handling the case according to the law. If you say that, even a fool wouldn't believe it."

Su Ming said, "Perhaps, that's true. I'm just investigating and prosecuting them according to the law."

The governor was stunned when he heard this and said in disbelief, "It's already this hour, and there are no outsiders here. Why would Lord Su lie to me like this?"

Su Ming spread his hands and said helplessly: "See, you don't believe it again."

Su Ming paused, then continued, "Lu Zheng and I have never met before, nor have we exchanged letters. On his first day in Hongzhou City, he dared to smash a shop. On the second day, he dared to force the young masters of three families to kneel down and admit their mistakes in the street... Why do you think he wouldn't do these things?"

"I only provided him with some evidence of the crimes of the major families. Even without me, he would have done the same thing sooner or later. I, Su Ming, am not his reliance. His reliance is the law of the country."

The governor's face showed shock, but he suppressed his emotions and said, "Then why didn't you stop him? Did you really want to cause chaos in Hongzhou? Do you know what will happen if you do this? And you're still helping him!"

"I have to act according to the law, so how can I stop him?" Su Ming said dimly, "Besides, I can't stop him."

"How is that possible! If you don't go, I will go and talk to him." said the governor.

Su Ming looked at the governor and said softly, "Your Excellency, please don't go. We don't care what he does. We just need to cooperate."

The governor was shocked when he heard this and understood the hidden meaning.

He couldn't help but lower his voice and asked, "Is this what the higher-ups meant?"

Su Ming shook his head and said, "I don't know, but a senior figure told me not to interfere with Lu Zheng's actions... Maybe someone is really paying attention to this matter."

"Hiss..." The governor took a breath and immediately thought of a lot of things.

Su Ming said: "This is just my guess. I'm also betting that someone will stand up and make this matter come to a smooth conclusion."

"What if there is none?" asked the governor.

Su Ming said slowly, "Things have come to this point. There is no room for maneuver. We must do things thoroughly. The worst that can happen is that everyone will perish... Which side are you going to stand on, Governor?"

The governor's face darkened. "Which side are you on? No matter what the outcome, you'll all be losers!"

Even if Lu Zheng and Su Ming joined forces to suppress those families in Hongzhou, in the long run, they would make enemies with the aristocratic families, and nothing good would come of it.

"Yeah." Su Ming smiled slightly, "But fortunately, there is still a winner."

The governor thought for a moment and said, "Royal?"

Su Ming shook his head and said, "They are the people of Hongzhou."

Su Ming had read Lu Zheng's policy plans and past actions, and actually knew the reason why Lu Zheng was so strong in dealing with the wealthy and powerful families was for the sake of the people.

The governor frowned when he heard this, feeling puzzled.

Just then, a guard stepped in and presented a storage bag.

"Sir, someone dropped off a storage bag containing evidence of a certain family's crimes."

Su Ming took the storage bag, opened it, and smiled, "When the wall falls, someone pushes it. Who sent it?"

"I don't know, no one was found..." said the guard.

"Okay, keep a close eye on it and don't let anyone spy on the provincial government office." Su Ming ordered.

……

A small courtyard somewhere in Hongzhou City.

An Dingyuan knelt beside An Jing and made tea there.

"This place is a bit small. How about I ask someone to prepare a big yard for you?" An Dingyuan whispered.

An Jing said calmly: "Why, you are not used to it?"

An Dingyuan quickly waved his hands and said, "No! I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to get used to it and that I was wronging you."

An Jing said, "There's nothing to be uncomfortable with. You must not be extravagant and arrogant in Hongzhou from now on, understand?"

"I dare not." An Dingyuan responded.

A maid came back from outside and whispered, "Miss, Master Lu..."

The maid told him the news she had heard.

An Dingyuan, standing next to him, was stunned. He had just arrived in Hongzhou City, and he had already encountered something like this? Wasn't this going to be a good show? No, if Hongzhou fell into chaos, it wouldn't be a good thing for him.

An Dingyuan also wanted to suppress a few small families to establish his authority when he took office.

As a result, after Lu Zhenggang received the divine gift, he began to oppress those big families, which was even more exaggerated than what he wanted to do.

An Jing frowned slightly, not understanding what Lu Zheng was thinking.

She asked, "How many families are staying closed?"

"Yes, Mr. Lu did not force his way in, he just left." said the maid.

Break in by force? An Jing thought that since Lu Zheng had a walking token, why would he need to break in by force? However, it seemed that Lu Zheng had never used the token. Did he want to face these big families on his own?

"Is there someone from the provincial government pushing this behind the scenes?" An Jing asked.

"That's still unclear. The provincial government is on high alert right now, and no news has come out," said the maid.

An Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Go and investigate again. If you have any new information, report it immediately. Have someone investigate to see if he's being used by someone."

The maid said, "As you command. Should we send someone to protect Master Lu?"

An Jing thought for a moment and said, "Send two people, and don't disturb him."

"Yes." The maid agreed.

An Dingyuan was amazed, "That's amazing. What about me? Should I go and help?"

An Dingyuan thought that he could also take this opportunity to make a name for himself.

An Jing said calmly, "Just watch and see how far he can go..."

"Okay." An Dingyuan said with a smile, "It's going to be a big show right from the start. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep for the next few days."

……

The sun sets and night falls.

Lu Zheng was turned away again and ended his schedule for the day.

In the city, the curfew has been brought forward, and the patrolling guards are moving more frequently on the streets than before.

Lu Zheng did not go back to Zhang Bo's residence so as not to disturb Zhang Bo and the others' daily routine. He just sent someone to convey a message that he would stay away for a few days.

Afterwards, he went to a dilapidated, deserted courtyard and stayed there for one night.

The night is quiet, and in the darkness, there are countless prying eyes hidden.

(End of this chapter)