Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 279 One call and hundreds of responses

The two managers saw Lu Zheng’s serious expression and thought something was wrong.

They didn’t have any documents, not even from the Qianshan County government.

After all, this is illegal mining. Who would forge a document to give themselves a handle?

A manager's eyes turned and he said with a smile, "Sir, please take a seat! To be honest, we are government officials. As for the documents you requested... This mining area has been open for quite a while, and we just took over, so we haven't paid much attention to any paperwork. Brother Zhang, go and look for the documents and see where they are."

Another steward understood what was said and quickly left the room.

Lu Zheng saw someone walking away without saying anything.

He knew that the other party was just stalling for time and was simply trying to find another way to cover up the matter.

The steward smiled and poured tea. "This young man is a juren at such a young age. He has a bright future! Come, come, have a cup of cold tea. The conditions here are not very good, so please bear with me!"

Don't hit someone who smiles at you. Lu Zheng wanted to see what tricks these people were going to play.

He found a place to sit down and said calmly, "You have killed a lot of people over the years, right?"

The steward's face froze upon hearing this, and he immediately said, "What does this young master mean? We didn't harm anyone."

Lu Zheng said darkly, "I smell the scent of death. There's quite a bit of death here."

The manager couldn't help but say, "Alas, mining is a place where people don't die. The workload is heavy, and there's nothing we can do. The workers in these mines are all slaves and criminals, worthless lives, and they deserve this fate... I've heard that scholars are kind-hearted, and they can't bear to see them die. This is not a place for you, young master."

Lu Zheng said, "Slaves, criminals? You have such a small population in Qianshan County, and there are more slaves and criminals than ordinary people?"

The steward's expression changed, and he said, "This kind of thing is beyond the control of small people like us. Why is the young master so aggressive?"

Lu Zheng looked at the steward and said, "I heard your conversation clearly. It's hard for me to think that you are not responsible."

The manager knew that Lu Zheng was not so easy to talk to.

He thought for a moment, then pulled out a bag and shoved it towards Lu Zheng. "It's just a small token of my appreciation. Take it, sir. Just consider it a friendship... We're just following orders, so please be considerate."

Lu Zheng looked at the bag and said slowly, "I don't dare to associate with a friend like you. Let's close this mine and release those people."

Hearing this, the steward's expression turned grim. "I'm sorry, I can't obey your order. This is a mine run by the county government. You don't have the authority to do so, sir."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "If you can't produce the documents, it means you're illegally collecting the materials. This is a serious crime according to Anguo's laws. As a scholar, I have reason to imprison you here and then bring you to the authorities for investigation."

The steward laughed out loud upon hearing this. "Sir, do you understand what you are talking about? I told you this is a mine established by Qianshan County! The silver mined here must be offered to the higher-ups, not just the county magistrate, but also those in Maozhou City. Do you understand what I mean?"

There are some things that the manager doesn't want to make too clear.

However, Lu Zheng was so stubborn that he could only say some things that he shouldn't have said.

"I see."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but nodded slightly.

When the manager saw that Lu Zheng finally understood, he couldn't help but wonder in his heart how Lu Zheng pronounced it as "juren". Could he be a nerd?

Lu Zheng stretched out his hand and said slowly: "So, do you have the imperial documents?"

The steward twitched the corners of his mouth, looking speechless.

Seeing that the steward remained silent, Lu Zheng continued, "My patience is limited. Do you have the document or not?"

"No! What are you going to do?" the steward said gritting his teeth.

"boom!"

A figure flew out of the wooden house, and a big hole appeared in the wall.

"Cough cough..."

The manager lay on the ground, gasping in pain and unable to stand up for a while.

Lu Zheng bent down slightly and crawled out of the hole.

"No, then no, why are you yelling so loudly? Do you think you're right?"

Lu Zheng walked towards the manager, his face darkening.

The steward struggled to sit up and shouted, "Someone, someone is causing trouble!"

Not far away, a guard had heard the noise and rushed over.

Manager Zhang, who had originally left, also brought people over.

After a while, a group of people surrounded Lu Zheng, and some of them were holding shining weapons in their hands.

The steward forced himself to stand up and said angrily, "I respect you as a sensible scholar. If you want us to close this place, then show us the documents and the orders from the higher-ups! If not, please leave!"

The manager naturally didn't dare to gather people to deal with Lu Zheng, he just wanted Lu Zheng to give up.

After all, they cannot afford to offend Confucian and Taoist scholars who have achieved fame.

Lu Zheng chuckled, "You don't even have the paperwork to mine, so why do you need paperwork to close this place? This is ridiculous."

The manager was speechless when he heard this. He wanted to use his power to overpower others, but their momentum was far inferior to Lu Zheng's.

Not far away, some miners, who had a rare chance to relax, couldn't help but look over to see what was going on.

Lu Zheng looked at the crowd and said slowly, "Confucius said, 'A gentleman helps others to do good, not to do evil. A villain does the opposite!'"

As soon as these words were spoken, a righteous spirit bombarded the people around him.

Everyone was suddenly struck hard, one by one, by an invisible force, sending them flying backwards, landing heavily like sandbags with a series of muffled thuds. There was a constant stream of wailing and cries of pain.

Even those warriors with some skills were not exempted, and some of them were even more seriously injured.

Everyone was inexplicably shocked. They didn't expect that Lu Zheng's mere words could make them like this.

Lu Zheng looked around and couldn't help but shook his head and said, "It seems that you are all villains."

Suddenly, a man struggled to his feet and tried to escape in panic.

Lu Zheng snapped his fingers, and a stream of righteous energy turned into an arrow and shot out.

The arrow pierced the man's calf directly, and blood oozed out.

The person who was running away groaned in pain, staggered and fell to the ground, holding his leg in agony.

Lu Zheng glanced around and found several guards who had not come over, so he rushed over.

Without saying a word, he knocked the remaining guards to the ground, leaving them without the strength to escape.

When the miners saw this scene, their eyes were dazed and some of them were unable to react.

Lu Zheng stood on a rock, looking at the skinny miners. He sighed and said, "You are free! Go and rest, get some water, and eat! I'm here. They won't do anything to you anymore. I will go to the government and seek justice for you!"

Lu Zheng waved his hand, and green bamboo shadows floated behind him.

A gentle breeze blew, bringing a vital energy into the miners' bodies.

The miners looked up at Lu Zheng, feeling that it was extremely unreal, as if it were a dream, as if a god had come down to earth to save the world.

Some people were so grateful that they knelt down.

Lu Zheng waved his hand again, supporting those who were about to kneel down, and gently soothed them, "Stand up, I'm not worthy of your kneeling. Go and rest. You still have a long way to go, take care of your health..."

Everyone listened to Lu Zheng's words, stopped working, and ran to share the food to fill their hungry bodies.

Some people looked at the managers and supervisors with fierce eyes.

"Sir, what should we do with these people?" a man asked.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Give them a taste of their own medicine. If you're unhappy, you can take action, but try not to kill them. Wouldn't that be too easy for them?"

Lu Zheng has no mercy on evil people.

Upon hearing this, some miners' eyes lit up like ferocious wolves, and they immediately walked towards the supervisors.

Seeing this, a manager quickly said, "Don't! You won't end well if you do this..."

A man was furious upon hearing this and rushed over, saying fiercely, "You're going to die sooner or later! Before I die, I'll drag you down with me to be buried with me!"

A group of miners rushed forward and punched him hard.

Lu Zheng raised his hand and scattered some bean soldiers to help hold down the managers and supervisors.

In just a few moments, several people were beaten to death and turned into meat paste.

The few people who were still alive were dying and in a terrible state.

If Lu Zhengxian hadn't said those words, they would have beaten all these people to death.

After a period of venting, the miners rested and regained some energy.

A leading miner approached Lu Zheng, expressing gratitude. He then said, "We were all saved by you, young master. From now on, we will have no choice but to flee to the ends of the earth. We will definitely not tell anyone about what happened today."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "I said I would seek justice for you. Why do you have to flee to such a remote place? There are many mines like this in Qianshan County. Are you willing to come with me and rescue them?"

The man was shocked when he heard this. He patted his chest and said confidently, "Young Master is so kind. Why should I be afraid? I will repay you with my own death!"

These people have suffered enough, so what's the harm in risking their lives?
"No need to die, everyone lives well."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "Go talk to them, I'm ready..."

Lu Zheng told his general plan.

The man looked serious when he heard this, and then he called his companions to discuss the next arrangements.

When everyone heard this, they were all very brave and willing to go together to seek justice in person.

After a while, the people in the mine finished their repairs and everyone chose to leave.

Among them are many women and children, all of whom were sold here to work. Even if they do not work in the mines, they have to do other heavy chores.

Hundreds of people escorted the surviving stewards and supervisors along the way.

Lu Zheng was leading the way in front. After crossing a few mountains, he would meet Qing Wan and the others at a place.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng quickly went to other places.

Qing Wan continued to lead the group, walking slowly and resting at intervals along the way.

Lu Zheng acted quickly, going to several mines overnight and rescuing hundreds of miners.

After being rescued, these people had nowhere else to go. They were all full of hatred and followed Lu Zheng in groups.

However, in just a few days, thousands of people, including men, women, young and old, gathered and lined up in a long queue to Qianshan County.

(End of this chapter)