Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 231 Please enter the urn
Lu Zheng cleared a space in the dilapidated courtyard, built a small stove, and started to make a fire and cook, looking very relaxed.

Lu Zheng had not finished eating the dragon meat, so he roasted some more to replenish his strength.

In secret, those observing parties, whether they were enemies, friends, or neutrals, all felt that Lu Zheng was too bold to dare to be alone in such a place.

But no one exposed themselves. Everyone knew that on the surface, there was only Lu Zheng alone. Who knew how many people were hiding in secret?
"Oh my, I can smell it from so far away!"

A voice sounded slowly, and a Taoist strode over.

Lu Zheng sat on a small stool, raised his head slightly and smiled, "Master Yun Xiao."

Yun Xiao squatted aside with a smile, "Little Daoist friend, eating alone is not a good habit. Come on, I have some spiritual wine here, let's sit at the table together."

As he spoke, Yun Xiao took out a small gourd and two small cups.

Thick spiritual liquid poured out from the gourd, filling the air with spiritual energy and a pleasant fragrance.

Then, Yun Xiao unceremoniously picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth, mumbling, "The food made by my young Taoist friend tastes really different..."

"Fortunately."

Lu Zheng took a sip of the spiritual brew and immediately felt his mind clear and his spirit improved a lot. "Good stuff!"

Yun Xiao chuckled and said, "Nonsense! How could what I brought out be any worse? I tell you, this small cup is worth quite a few spirit stones. But we're friends, so let's not talk about that..."

Yun Xiao ate the meat in big mouthfuls and said, "You are really capable, kid. You just received the gift from the saint and you turn around to deal with those families. What are you thinking?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I just saw injustice."

Yun Xiao said quietly, "Don't let others take advantage of you."

Lu Zheng chuckled and said, "No one can use me. You are overthinking it."

"Really?" Yun Xiao looked at Lu Zheng. "Judging from how clever you were when negotiating business with me, it's certainly not like you... If you can't make it in Anguo, come to Shuguo and I'll teach you how to practice Taoism! As for cultivation, it doesn't matter what you practice. I think you have a lot of talent for the Taoist path."

"Master, you are so thoughtful." Lu Zhengdao said.

Yun Xiao said, "I think you're a good young man. I wouldn't bother with ordinary people. Would you like some porridge? I'll serve you a bowl!"

Yun Xiao was not polite at all and served two large bowls of meat porridge, one for each person.

Yun Xiao held the big bowl and sipped the meat porridge with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"I've traveled extensively and seen many people and many things, but this is the first time I've met someone like you... Young people, it's good to have a pure heart, but being too rigid can easily lead to failure." Yun Xiao said quietly, "Can you handle these things?"

Lu Zheng said calmly: "They can't break me yet."

"Hey, young man, you are very energetic." Yun Xiao said with a smile.

Lu Zheng smiled without saying anything and drank his porridge silently.

For a moment, both of them were silent and ate quietly.

Yun Xiao was full and looked relaxed. He waved his hand and helped Lu Zheng clean up the pots and pans.

Yun Xiao smacked his lips. "You're a scholar, why don't you just stay in the academy? Why do you like to mess around out there?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Put your knowledge into practice, otherwise it would be a waste of time."

"Tsk tsk tsk, that seems to be the case..." Yun Xiao murmured.

He then sent a voice message: "There are quite a few cats and dogs around here staring at you. Do you want me to help drive them away?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "It's not necessary. You'll be back when you leave. Why bother?"

"You should be relieved." Yun Xiao said slowly, "I am a Taoist from Shu Kingdom, so it is not easy for me to interfere in the open and secret struggles of your An Kingdom. But I, Yun Xiao, will not eat your food for free. You can rest assured and I will protect you tonight."

Lu Zheng looked at Yun Xiao and nodded, "Then I'll trouble you, Taoist Priest."

After saying that, Lu Zheng lay down and slept with his clothes on.

Yun Xiao glanced at Lu Zheng, but couldn't tell whether Lu Zheng was really sleeping or just pretending to sleep.

Yun Xiao changed his posture and sat in meditation on the spot, guarding aside.

The night was quiet, with the chirping of insects and birds, but no human voices. The silence was a little heavy.

When Lu Zheng was resting, the lights in the provincial government office were on and everyone was still working overtime to handle affairs.

Chen Liang was so busy that he didn't sleep for two days and two nights. Lu Zheng had caused so much trouble that he didn't have any chance to rest.

"Five of the ten great families have come, along with other wealthy families. This Lu Zheng is truly..."

Chen Liang muttered to himself, somewhat admiring Lu Zheng for doing something he dared not even think of.

Chen Liang looked at Su Ming who was handling the case file and whispered, "Brother-in-law, when will this matter end? We can't arrest all those people in Hongzhou City, right?"

"I don't know." Su Ming said expressionlessly, "Just do your job well and don't ask so many questions."

Chen Liang said quietly, "I'm just one of the Hundred Guards in charge of patrols. What I'm doing now isn't part of my job..."

"Serving the people as an official, how can it not count? You are very free now?" Su Ming raised his eyebrows.

"No..." Chen Liang said hurriedly, "Just now, the Yang family personally sent some people to surrender. At this rate, our state jail will be full."

"Let them find a family that has committed a serious crime and search their house first. Wouldn't that give them a place to detain people?" Su Ming said without even looking up. "Also, have someone draft a notice and post it tomorrow. Anyone who has grievances can come forward to report them. The county officials can write the petition on their behalf, and I will handle it personally..."

Chen Liang glared at him and whispered, "Brother-in-law, don't you think this isn't a big enough fuss?"

Su Ming said calmly, "This matter is legitimate and can reassure people! If we lose the support of the people and let them incite them first, it will be disadvantageous to us! The officialdom is like a battlefield, how can we let the enemy gain the upper hand? Keep your eyes open, if there are any intentional troublemakers, arrest them directly."

Chen Liang said seriously: "I understand, my brother-in-law is very smart!"

……

While the provincial government was still handling various cases overnight, some large and small families in the city were also restless, like frightened birds, secretly making various preparations.

Some families even secretly sent letters to inform others of the situation in an attempt to seek refuge.

The night seemed endlessly long, leaving many feeling uneasy. As dawn approached, some felt time was passing too quickly, wondering which families would be unlucky today.

Lu Zheng woke up slowly, feeling refreshed.

Yun Xiao meditated all night and did not feel tired.

As for those people in the dark, no one seemed to make any rash moves.

He looked at the awake Lu Zheng and said, "You can really sleep well. I wonder how many people in the city were afraid to sleep last night."

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and said, "If you haven't done anything wrong, why can't you sleep?"

"Hey..." Yun Xiao slowly stood up and waved his sleeves, saying, "Looks like you don't even need me to watch over you. Are you still going to go later?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "This is just the beginning."

Yun Xiao raised his eyebrows and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now. You can go about your business. I'll go back and enjoy the opera."

Of course, he wanted to listen to Lu Zheng's opera. He wanted to see how far Lu Zheng could go.

After saying that, Yun Xiao floated away and soon walked away.

Lu Zheng also stood up and left the courtyard, strolling on the street.

At this time, the sky was already slightly bright, but the wide streets were still deserted with no pedestrians.

At this time in the past, there were already people walking on the street.

But today, even some shops have their doors closed and are not open for business.

Lu Zheng walked slowly to a courtyard and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man who looked like a manager greeted us with a smile, "But is this Mr. Lu?"

"That's right." Lu Zheng handed over the invitation.

The middle-aged man said respectfully, "Something happened in the mansion. Yesterday, the master had several servants escorted to the provincial government office to apologize for their misconduct. Today, they are still being interrogated. I am really too busy to receive Mr. Lu. How about Mr. Lu come back in a couple of days?"

Some families are not stupid. They know that Lu Zheng dares to target the big families because he not only has evidence against him but also has the support of the government.

Therefore, before Lu Zheng came to visit, some families found some scapegoats and went to the government to delay the matter.

"Oh, really?" Lu Zhengdao said.

The middle-aged man said, "If you don't believe me, Mr. Lu, go to the provincial government office and ask."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng put away the invitation and said, "In that case, I don't want to bother you. I will come to visit you in two days."

"Okay..." The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly.

Lu Zheng turned and left, disappearing around the corner.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh and raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

This Lu Zheng was easier to talk to than he had imagined.

But the matter is not over yet. The middle-aged man knows that he will have to deal with it later.

Even though Lu Zheng just left like that, after hearing about the attitude of the officials in the provincial government, it was clear that it would not be so easy to deal with the matter.

Lu Zheng stood on the street, took out the invitation, looked through it, and chose his next target.

After one night, Lu Zheng was a little disappointed with the reactions of these families.

"Do we need to add more fuel to the fire?" Lu Zheng murmured.

Soon, Lu Zheng arrived outside a mansion.

The Yu family is a fairly large family in Hongzhou City. They are a family of scholars with four generations of successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

However, even in families of scholars, there are many despicable people who engage in shady activities behind the scenes.

Lu Zheng knocked on the door again and someone opened it soon.

A young servant looked at Lu Zheng and asked, "Who is this young master?"

"Lu Zheng." Lu Zheng said.

The servant was startled when he heard this, "Sir, please wait a moment. I will go and report to the master."

"Okay." Lu Zheng nodded.

The servant ran away like the wind and went to the inner courtyard.

After a while, the servant came back in a hurry, panting, "The master is still changing clothes. Mr. Lu, please follow me into the mansion and wait in the living room..."

"Thank you." Lu Zheng nodded.

Lu Zheng stepped into the mansion and felt something unusual.

He paused slightly, but quickly walked forward again, his expression unchanged.

In the inner courtyard of the Yu family, there is a dark room somewhere underground.

"He's coming, we still have half a quarter of an hour to prepare!"

"I'm afraid some people won't be able to come in time."

"The people of us, plus the arrangements here, should be enough."

"Time waits for no one, this opportunity is rare, we can't delay any longer..."

After a burst of whispers, the dark room became quiet and silent again.

(End of this chapter)