Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 262 Mid-Autumn Festival
Lu Zheng understood An Jing's intention, but he felt that changing the ideas of some corrupt scholars was not much easier than carrying out reforms.

Of course, relatively speaking, the impact may not be that great, and we can act more gently.

An Jing looked at Lu Zheng and said, "I'm going to write a letter and send it to Tai'an right away. Do you have anything to add?"

"What?" Lu Zheng thought for a moment and shook his head, "No."

Those words had already caused quite a stir, and he couldn't think of anything to add for the time being.

An Jing smiled and said, "I can help you pass on some messages to the emperor."

Most Confucian and Taoist scholars will never have the opportunity to speak to the emperor in their entire lives.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "Then Your Majesty, please think more about the people of the world."

An Jing nodded and asked, "Nothing else? You really don't want to fight for something for yourself?"

Lu Zheng smiled faintly, "I already have more than enough. I don't need to ask for anything from Your Majesty. If there is anything I want, I can just use my own strength to get it."

An Jing's beautiful eyes flickered. If it were anyone else, even if they didn't dare to ask for anything, they would definitely use exaggerated flattery. But Lu Zheng was honest and only said this one sentence.

"Okay." An Jing smiled, "I'm going to write a letter. You two can do whatever you want."

After saying that, An Jing quickly left the garden.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan did not leave, but instead enjoyed the flowers in the garden.

Qing Wan looked at the colorful chrysanthemums and said excitedly, "They are so beautiful. Should we plant some in the yard?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "They are just ordinary chrysanthemums. I'm afraid they won't survive after being transplanted."

Qing Wan couldn't help but promise, "I will take good care of them!"

So, the two, one big and one small, started tinkering in the garden.

When the gardener in the mansion found out, he came over to help.

An Dingyuan finished some work and came over to take a look. "Sir, you like to grow flowers. Where are you going to plant them?"

"Wen Gong." Lu Zheng replied.

"Huh?" An Dingyuan was surprised. "Master, you can already plant flowers and plants in your Wen Palace?"

He majored in martial arts and had reached the third level of Confucianism, but it was not easy to raise creatures in the Sea of Consciousness Palace, so he was too lazy to bother.

"Yes, but not all of them will survive," Lu Zheng said. "I'm thinking of planting more. When I travel abroad in the future, I can live in my own courtyard. A better environment will make me feel more comfortable."

……

August fifteen.

Hongzhou City was bustling with people, and it was much more lively than usual.

Many people came from nearby villages and towns to buy some items for the festival and to get books from Ruyu Bookstore.

The news that books could be obtained for free from Ruyu Bookstore gradually spread. Even though the printing house had sped up its production, it was still unable to meet people's demand.

So much so that half of the street near the study was filled with people, and the length of the line was increasing instead of decreasing, all waiting for the newly printed books to be delivered.

Wenmiao Mountain, the whole mountain is decorated with lights and colors.

There are many stalls at the foot of the mountain, and it is very lively.

Not only are stall fees waived today, but the government also provides two meals a day, prompting many people to move their usual stalls here, making the market a bustling place.

Halfway up the mountain, a spacious performance stage has been built and beautifully decorated.

There are also many seats around the stage for people to watch the show in the evening.

This time, the government did not invite anyone, even the newly-enthroned Juren were not among the invited guests, only a few seats were reserved.

The remaining seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the entrance time, regardless of status.

The originally scheduled Mid-Autumn Festival literary gathering was cancelled, and even the major families and scholars felt that this Mid-Autumn Festival was unusual.

This was the first time they had encountered such a situation where no one cared about them.

However, they did not dare to make any protests or demands to the government.

Some families sent people to keep an eye on the situation in Wenmiao Mountain.

It is said that the governor and the prefect of the state would be present to preside over the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration.

Whether these people should go or not is a question that needs to be considered.

If you don't take the right stance, you might end up being targeted by the government again.

However, those people did not expect that none of the officials cared about it at all, but were actively preparing for the celebration and trying to do their best.

As for who comes and who doesn't, no one cares that much.

……

"Mr. Lu, some things may require you to delay for a while. I wonder if Mr. Lu is free?"

An official from An Dingyuan found Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng put down the book and asked, "What's the matter?"

The official whispered, "We've already had people perform tonight's show several times, and everyone wants Mr. Lu to come over and take a look and give some pointers so we can make the performance perfect."

"Is that so?" Lu Zheng nodded slightly, "Okay, take me there."

The officials hurriedly led the way, then left the governor's mansion and took a carriage to a theater.

At the theater entrance, Ruyu and her group were eagerly waiting. Seeing someone approaching, Ruyu greeted them with a smile, "Master Lu is here. I hope I haven't delayed your business."

"No, take me to see it." Lu Zheng said.

As soon as they entered the theater, Ruyu asked people to start performing.

The people Ruyu invited were all professionals. They were able to interpret the story vividly and emotionally in just a short time, which touched people.

After watching a few scenes, Lu Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Some of the lines can be changed. We are mostly targeting city dwellers, so we don't need to be too literary. It's best if it's easy to understand... Also, some of the music needs to be changed..."

Lu Zheng raised his hand and took out the Suqin. "Like the story of Liang Zhu, I have a piece of music, but I'm not very good at playing it yet. Please don't laugh at me..."

After he finished speaking, Lu Zheng played the piano with both hands, and a piece of "Butterfly Lovers" came out.

Everyone present listened attentively, even their breathing became soft.

After a song is played, the lingering sound lingers in the air.

Some musicians were mesmerized by the music, while some actors were immersed in the story music, with sad expressions on their faces, unable to control themselves.

Even though Ruyu was a fairy with a hundred years of cultivation, she was still infected by the music, and her heart was in turmoil and she could not calm down for a long time.

The official beside him couldn't help but say, "This is the sound of nature, how often can we hear it in the world?"

Ruyu said quietly, "I never thought Mr. Lu's zither skills were so amazing. It makes me so sad just listening to him."

Lu Zheng smiled faintly, "It's the song that's good, not my ability."

He turned to look at the musicians, "Did you hear clearly? Can you play?"

These musicians are all quite talented and said they have already mastered most of the music, but they still need more practice.

"Okay then." Lu Zheng nodded slightly. "Time is tight, so I'm really going to trouble you all for your help. I'd like to thank you all for your dedication and hard work."

It's hard for these people to go to such lengths for the Mid-Autumn Festival program in less than a day.

Lu Zheng stood up and bowed.

Seeing this, the people in the theater respected Lu Zheng even more. Usually, they were looked down upon by those people of status and had never received such courtesy.

Lu Zheng watched the rehearsal in the theater for a while and felt that it was very good, so he didn't make any further requests.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng left the theater.

Seeing the hustle and bustle outside, Lu Zheng strolled along the street all the way to Wenmiao Hill.

At the foot of the mountain, the wide road was lined with stalls on both sides, and passers-by came and went, making it seem a bit crowded.

Lu Zheng bought a string of candied haws, gave two to Qingwan in his pocket, and then ate them while walking.

After passing several stalls, Lu Zheng suddenly stopped.

Next to them, there was a Taoist fortune teller setting up a stall, and several people were queuing up.

"This young lady has a very good fate. She will meet a noble person within two years! However, you still have a calamity in your life... This talisman can eliminate disasters and difficulties. It only costs ten spirit stones. If you don't have spirit stones, you can pay with cash..."

Yun Xiao was talking seriously to a rich young lady in front of him.

The rich young lady had just seen Yun Xiao display his skills and knew that he was not a swindler. In the end, she couldn't help herself and bought a genuine talisman at a high price.

After a while, everyone in the queue left satisfied.

Yun Xiao was also very satisfied. He looked at Lu Zheng and said, "Hey, young man, do you want to have your fortune told?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Master, your business is good."

"It's just okay, just okay. Thanks to everyone's care." Yun Xiao said leisurely, "Hey, we are just ordinary people, we can only earn this hard-earned money."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Then you should go to the gates of those big families. Those people are willing to spend money."

Yun Xiao stroked his beard and said, "Tsk, that makes sense, but some people know about your relationship with me, so I won't be able to make any money."

He had dealt with Lu Zheng openly several times, so it was obviously unlikely for him to fool those people now.

"But you, you can't even make money, and you're selling a masterpiece like that. Ten cents a copy, aren't you afraid of losing everything?"

Yun Xiao took out a new book and waved it in front of Lu Zheng. "I never thought you would publish such a masterpiece."

"I didn't expect this to be a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages." Lu Zheng couldn't help but say.

Yun Xiao said, "To be passed down through the ages doesn't necessarily mean it's a profound work. I heard that some students are unconvinced and want to emulate you in writing a few books like this."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "That's great. The more books like this there are, the better it will be for the people. If everyone in the world can read, they will be more likely to understand things and won't be so ignorant..."

Lu Zheng was very happy with this and didn't think that this was a challenge from others.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but nod and said, "That's true! But it won't be easy for them to write a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages. You've already got it, so if anyone else does the same, it will be inferior and it will be difficult for it to be praised as a masterpiece in the Confucian Temple."

If it were so easy to compile a work that would be passed down from generation to generation, it would not be called a work that would be passed down from generation to generation.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly, "I hope they can put their heart into writing a book that surpasses this one."

"You, young man, are quite open-minded. They all want to surpass you..." Yun Xiao couldn't help but say.

Lu Zhengdao: "It's not shameful for others to surpass me because of this. I just feel that I am not alone in my path."

Yun Xiao was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help but look at Lu Zheng with a new respect.

In this case, such a demeanor cannot be achieved unless one cultivates one's mind to a certain level.

(End of this chapter)