Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 285 Race against time
Lu Zheng looked at the head that was being passed around by everyone, and thought to himself that it was really retribution.

County Magistrate Song, whom I had just met during the day, has now ended up like this. This Zhao Zhizhong is really efficient in his work.

But, just because of this, they wanted to put all the blame on a dead person? Lu Zheng felt that it was a bit absurd. He was not that easy to fool.

Seeing that Zhao Zhizhong wanted to talk to him, Lu Zheng nodded slightly and went to a secluded place nearby.

Zhao Zhizhong followed beside him and whispered, "Early tomorrow morning, I will punish those officials in front of the entire city and promote some minor officials to fill the vacancies... I have sent a letter to Maozhou, and a new county magistrate will be appointed. From then on, Qianshan County will never again experience the same situation as before."

"Your Excellency is wise." Lu Zheng said lightly.

Zhao Zhizhong had long been tired of such flattery, but when it came from Lu Zheng's mouth, he didn't enjoy it at all, but rather found it irritating.

Zhao Zhizhong lowered his posture and said quietly, "Qianshan County is a remote area, and it is difficult for our Maozhou government to manage it properly. I hope Mr. Lu will understand. If there is anything inappropriate, please give us some suggestions so that we can correct it."

Lu Zheng said, "If the people inside and outside the city can live a good life in the future, then there is nothing wrong with it. Zhao Zhizhong has been an official for many years and should be better at governing the people than me. Why should I ask you about this matter..."

Zhao Zhizhong was not afraid of Lu Zheng making any demands or conditions, but he was afraid that Lu Zheng would not make any demands at all.

Zhao Zhizhong felt like he was facing his immediate superior.

The governor asked him to come and do what he thought was right, and Lu Zheng also asked him to do it according to his own ideas.

However, if he didn't handle it well, he would be in trouble, but he didn't have any temper at all.

Zhao Zhizhong had no choice but to say, "I will definitely not let Master Lu down. What about the people outside the city?"

Lu Zheng said, "Those evildoers and demons who commit crimes can be handed over to Zhao Zhizhong for disposal. As for the common people, it will naturally depend on their own opinions. How can I make decisions for them?"

"it is good……"

Zhao Zhizhong had no choice but to nod in response.

But he could see clearly that many people outside the city supported Lu Zheng.

Seeing that Lu Zheng refused to give in, Zhao Zhizhong had no choice but to continue taking action to change Lu Zheng's attitude.

Seeing that no one was around, Zhao Zhizhong couldn't help but ask, "I heard that County Magistrate Song had previously discussed with Master Lu and gave him something?"

"Ok?"

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but look at Zhao Zhizhong.

The two looked at each other with different expressions, and neither could see through the other.

Lu Zheng turned his gaze away and shook his head, saying, "I wonder where Zhao Zhizhong heard this rumor? I did have a few words with County Magistrate Song, but he didn't give me anything."

"Really?" Zhao Zhizhong nodded slightly, but didn't completely believe it.

Lu Zheng smiled and asked, "Zhao Zhizhong is very interested in that thing. I wonder what it is? How about I help him find it?"

Zhao Zhizhong said, "Well, I've heard people mention it, but I don't know what it is."

Some things are really hard to say directly.

Zhao Zhizhong paused, then changed the subject and asked tentatively, "If this matter is over, where will Master Lu go? I heard about the Hongzhou incident a few days ago, and I thought Master Lu was still in Hongzhou, but he ended up in a place like this..."

Lu Zheng explained: "I was planning to go to Chu State to see it, and I just happened to pass by here."

Zhao Zhizhong was stunned when he heard this. If he wanted to go to the State of Chu, he had to pass through their Maozhou, so the incident in Qianshan County was just a coincidence?

But even if it was a coincidence, Lu Zheng had already come across it, so he would not easily reveal it.

Seeing that Lu Zheng didn't seem to be lying, Zhao Zhizhong could only curse his bad luck.

"Chu State is indeed very different from our An State..." Zhao Zhizhong said leisurely, "When I was young, I also went to Chu State for a period of time..."

As they were talking, the two of them actually strayed from the topic and started talking about the affairs of the Chu State.

After sharing some of his experiences, Zhao Zhizhong continued, "Master Lu is a pillar of our An State. When you go to Chu State, you must be careful. The Chu people don't like An State people very much, especially a talent like Master Lu..."

It is said that intellectuals look down on each other, let alone intellectuals from other countries.

The world is still unstable now. Even if there are no major wars between countries, there are still minor frictions.

Without a certain level of strength, traveling to other countries is no different from seeking death.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly, "It's okay. Aren't there many people in Anguo who don't like me? Even if someone wants to do something bad to me, there are so many people that they'll probably have to queue up..."

Zhao Zhizhong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Mr. Lu is quite good at joking."

It has to be said that Zhao Zhizhong also admires Lu Zheng for being a loner and not seeming to care at all about who might target him.

Other nobles and intellectuals would probably feel embarrassed to go out without some servants and guards.

Zhao Zhizhong glanced at the moonlight and said, "It's too late. I really don't want to bother Master Lu any further. I'll talk to Master Lu tomorrow after I've dealt with the prisoners and settled the people. Goodbye!"

Zhao Zhizhong bowed and took his subordinates back to the county town.

On the way, Zhao Zhizhong's expression changed and became gloomy.

He was sure that Song Ming had a backup plan. It seemed that the thing was not with Lu Zheng yet, and his words also revealed some of the situation.

"Even after everyone was killed, this Lu Zheng still refuses to change his ways. Is he really going to cause trouble in Maozhou City?" Zhao Zhizhong had a headache.

He hurried back to the county magistrate's residence and asked one of his subordinates, "What did the interrogation reveal?"

The subordinate replied, "Several people from Magistrate Song's household have disappeared. They are likely his confidants. We are searching for them, but have not yet found them."

"Find it for me, the thing must be with them!" Zhao Zhizhong said with a serious face, "Keep a close eye on the outside of the city, and don't let people in the city contact people outside, especially Lu Zheng." A group of subordinates hurried to do their work again.

……

At the foot of the mountain outside the city, Lu Zheng stroked his chin and thought.

It seems that Song Ming really left some evidence, but it just hadn't been delivered to him yet.

Zhao Zhizhong just chatted with him a lot of gossip, and there was no lack of suspicion that he was deliberately delaying time.

Thinking of this, Lu Zheng no longer hesitated and entered the county town quietly.

However, it is not easy to find hidden evidence in such a large mountain city.

Lu Zheng was hiding in a pavilion. He heard the sound of a search outside and guessed that Zhao Zhizhong's subordinates were using this opportunity to look for someone in order to find the evidence of Song Ming's crime.

If it was about finding someone, it would be a lot easier for Lu Zheng.

His current realm is stronger than Zhao Zhizhong and his group, especially his soul is strong enough.

Lu Zheng was sitting cross-legged in the pavilion. As soon as he had a thought, his soul left his body.

Freed from the constraints of his body, Lu Zheng's soul was suddenly able to clearly perceive everything around him.

Even the rat holes deep underground were noticed.

Lu Zheng's soul was floating, moving in the city at night.

Wherever he went, he carefully investigated and observed whether the people in the city showed any abnormal behavior.

After searching an area in the city, Lu Zheng didn't gain anything and instead felt mentally exhausted.

He couldn't help but pause for a moment, using the poems in the Taishi Jian to bless it, and then summoned the strange phenomenon of the moon to nourish his soul.

Without stopping for long, Lu Zheng continued to explore the county town, racing against time with Zhao Zhizhong and others.

After searching half of the city, Lu Zheng floated to a remote street and explored each household as before.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng locked onto a person.

He sensed a familiar aura from someone.

Before going to Song Ming's mansion, Lu Zheng paid close attention to every person he met.

This person had a familiar aura, but looking at his appearance, I had never seen him before.

Lu Zheng investigated further and finally determined the reason.

"A man dressed as a woman, his disguise skills are really good..."

Lu Zheng muttered softly, then floated directly into the room.

The person in the room was already alert and awake. He felt like he was being spied on, but he didn't know what was going on.

Now, when he saw a shadow floating in, his face suddenly changed and he thought he had encountered a ghost.

Lu Zheng held a full moon in his hand and said leisurely, "Don't panic, it's me, Lu Zheng."

The man saw Lu Zheng's appearance clearly, and his heart still beat wildly. "You, how did you become a ghost? Did they also..."

After hearing the news of Song Ming's death, he had been hiding here in disguise. He had no chance to find Lu Zheng, but he didn't expect Lu Zheng to find him first.

A trace of silence crossed Lu Zheng's face, and then he said, "Your soul has left your body. Did County Magistrate Song leave anything for you?"

Upon hearing this, the man asked, "Are you really Lu Zheng?"

Seeing this, Lu Zheng's expression straightened, and a breath of energy swept towards the man.

The man suddenly felt a unique pressure, similar to the feeling he had when he first met Lu Zheng.

"With such great righteousness, I don't think there is anyone else in the entire Qianshan County who can pretend to be me." Lu Zheng said lightly.

The man felt relieved. He quickly said, "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment. The master did leave something for you."

After saying that, the man lifted up a floor tile in the room, fumbled around for a while, and took out a wooden box. He unlocked it again and took out a storage bag from it.

He handed the storage bag to Lu Zheng and said, "The master said that if he encounters any accident, I must give this thing to you..."

The man knew that Lu Zheng was actually involved in Song Ming's death, but as a servant, he only had to obey orders.

Besides, he knew clearly whether the whole thing was right or wrong.

Lu Zheng took the storage bag and used his mind to explore it, and found that there were indeed quite a few things inside, including various physical evidence and account books.

Lu Zheng waved his hand and put the bag into Wen Palace.

Lu Zheng looked at the man and asked, "The city is under a massive search. Would you like to follow me out of the city?"

The man shook his head and said, "Since I've already handed the things over to you, what does it matter if they catch me? The master heard of Mr. Lu's name earlier and praised him highly. I'm not a good person and I'm ashamed to travel with you... Mr. Lu, please leave now and don't let them find out."

Lu Zheng thought that this person was loyal and sensible, but it was a pity that he had followed the wrong master before.

"Well, take care of yourself."

Lu Zheng sensed the weakness of his soul and flew away without wasting any time.

(End of this chapter)