Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 287: Other Worlds
Seeing Lu Zheng's serious expression, Liu Yu nodded and said, "I see. Since you're a demon following Master Lu, why do you need to be tested..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "We still have to go through the necessary procedures. How can we do it differently for different people?"

Hearing this, Liu Yu smiled and said, "Everyone says that Master Lu is an upright person. Well, let's follow the rules."

Liu Yu raised his hand and pointed at an official, asking him to take Qing Wan for the examination.

Qing Wan excitedly followed the group away.

Lu Zheng looked at Liu Yu and said, "I passed through Maozhou this time and heard a few things along the way. Some people also reported to me. However, I am a commoner, so I can only report a few things to Master Liu. I wonder if Master Liu is free?"

I knew it... Liu Yu's heart sank when he heard Lu Zheng say that.

He really couldn't continue to use his busy schedule as an excuse, so he said, "Since Mr. Lu has something to say, please sit down and talk with me!"

Liu Yu took Lu Zheng to a room and asked the other officials to go about their business.

Liu Yu took a deep breath and asked, "I wonder what Mr. Lu wants to say?"

Lu Zheng said slowly, "I've never been an official, but I think some of what you said makes sense. For example, being a good official is not easy, and being a corrupt official is not easy either. After all, both good and bad things require thinking. What do you think, sir?"

Liu Yu said: "This statement... does make some sense."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Since Lord Liu has reached this position, he must be extremely capable and intelligent. If that's the case, why not think more about the people? Is being a corrupt official really more comfortable than being a good official respected by the people?"

Liu Yu was silent. How could he answer Lu Zheng in this situation? He couldn't admit that he was a corrupt official, could he?

Lu Zheng continued slowly, "I'm not here to target anyone. I just want you to do something practical... Over the years, you've plundered so much of the people's wealth that you can't even spend it all. Why aren't you willing to return it to the people?"

As he spoke, Lu Zheng threw out an account book.

"This is only part of what I have obtained. The officials and the powerful families in Maozhou are colluding with each other. Before I came here, did you make a lot of preparations to guard against me?"

"God is watching what we do. You can protect us for a while, but can you protect us forever?"

"I actually hope to stay and spend some time with you guys..."

"But Mr. Lu is really busy, so how about we both take a step back?"

Lu Zheng has more important things to do and won't spend much time in Maozhou.

After being lectured by Lu Zheng, Liu Yu's face turned a little ugly. He had never been scolded like this by a young man before, and he was really embarrassed.

"Mr. Lu, do you want to take a step back?" Liu Yu asked, suppressing his temper.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Think more of the people. You've eaten so much, yet you're so stingy. Aren't you afraid of dying of bloating? I'm a young man, and I speak very bluntly. I hope you won't take it personally."

"Of course, I'm still young. As long as I'm not dead, I can fight you officials and families for several generations without any problem..."

Liu Yu looked uneasy. He was afraid that none of the upright officials in the court were as righteous as Lu Zheng.

Liu Yu had always heard that Lu Zheng was upright in his words and deeds, but now that he had actually witnessed it, he couldn't stand it.

Liu Yu nodded and said, "I understand what Master Lu meant. From now on, I will persuade my subordinates and the families in Maozhou..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Your Excellency, as the head of a state, should set an example. I have a small suggestion, and I hope you will accept it."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng took out another booklet and handed it to Liu Yu.

Liu Yu flipped it open and saw that there were indeed some suggestions inside, which were related to the construction of Maozhou and would cost a lot of money and resources.

Lu Zheng said, "Your Excellency is a smart man. You should know who should pay for this, right? Of course, you can still use this to exploit the people..."

The corner of Liu Yu's mouth twitched. Lu Zhengzhen said everything clearly.

"Of course not, Mr. Lu, don't worry." Liu Yu said seriously.

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "In that case, I have nothing more to say. Once my friend passes the assessment, I will leave Maozhou and not bother you any further."

Lu Zheng stood up and bowed, then left the room and went straight to wait outside the yamen.

Seeing that Lu Zheng was determined, Liu Yu didn't want to keep him.

After a while, Qing Wan skipped out of the government office, holding up a redwood sign for Lu Zheng to see, "I passed! This is my sign!"

"Congratulations."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, took the badge and looked at it. Apart from the material used for the ID card, it was not much different from his own.

Lu Zheng handed the mahogany plaque back to Qing Wan and said, "Keep it well and don't lose it."

"Yeah!" Qing Wan nodded heavily and put the ID card into her pocket.

Afterwards, the two of them left directly, leaving Maozhou City and heading west.

When the officials learned that Lu Zhengzhen had really left, they all felt it was a bit unreal.

An official couldn't help but ask Liu Yu, "Sir, did Lu Zheng just leave like that? Didn't he have something else to report?"

Liu Yu thought that the other party was not here to report him, but to threaten him.

However, Lu Zheng had something on them, so Liu Yu could only hold his nose and endure it.

……

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan traveled almost non-stop along the way. After leaving Maozhou, they arrived at Yuezhou, which was adjacent to the State of Chu.

In recent years, there has been no war between Anguo and Chu, and the border exchanges between the two sides are quite frequent without any conflicts.
Pass document.

Without official documents, entering the State of Chu would be illegal, and being arrested and imprisoned would be your own fault.

Moreover, without documents, you can't even enter some cities, let alone others.

The clerk in charge of handling the documents in the border town did not know Lu Zheng, but when he saw the identity documents that Lu Zheng and Qing Wan showed, a Confucian and Taoist scholar and a transformed demon, he did not dare to delay and handled the documents for the two of them smoothly.

The clerk also reminded them, "Don't forget to get your stamps at the other customs office. Don't just enter directly; there will be checkpoints along the way... You Chu clerks, you'd better give me some silver first."

Lu Zheng nodded. "Thanks for the reminder! Do you have a map of the Chu State?"

When traveling to another country, a map is essential.

Lu Zheng thought that this kind of place should sell this thing.

The clerk blinked and whispered, "There are several types, all sold to us over there. If you want more details, I'll give you the cost price, half a tael of silver will do."

As he spoke, the clerk took out a roll of drawing paper from a box next to him and spread it out to take up most of the table.

Lu Zheng took a look and found that it was indeed a relatively detailed map.

The clerk said, "This is the largest map, which roughly depicts the entire Chu State. We also have a map of the neighboring prefecture here, which is smaller, but every village is marked."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Give me one of each. It's priced the right amount."

The clerk's eyes lit up, and he quickly took out a few more maps and gave them to Lu Zheng. "We sell these maps to people based on their taste. Since you are a scholar, I dare not ask for a high price. Just give me three or five taels of silver."

Lu Zheng took the map and gave five taels of silver to the clerk.

Seeing this, the clerk happily accepted the silver. Feeling that he had become more friendly with Lu Zheng, he curiously asked, "What are you two doing in Chu?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Travel and see the world."

"Is that so?" The clerk nodded and whispered, "Then you two should be careful. There are many gods in Chu. Whether they are righteous gods or wild gods, remember not to provoke them."

"Oh? The wild gods there are also very powerful?" Lu Zheng asked curiously.

In fact, he had already learned some information about the Chu State from books or other people.

But people have different status and identities, and they look at things differently.

So Lu Zheng was curious about what the State of Chu looked like in the eyes of this petty official.

Seeing Lu Zheng's curious look, the clerk immediately started talking nonstop. He felt inexplicably satisfied to be able to explain things to a Confucian and Taoist scholar.

"It's not about being powerful or not. The wild gods of Chu are actually similar to the demons and ghosts here. It's just that the Chu people believe in gods and have turned them into gods... Their gods are somewhat strange and are particularly good at deceiving people. Don't be fooled... It is said that Chu also has some ancient witchcraft that can curse people to death from thousands of miles away..."

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were listening there with great interest.

The clerk spoke until his mouth was dry and he finally stopped, a little embarrassed, saying: "I talk too much and I have delayed you two..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "You said it very well. I've taken note of it."

The clerk couldn't help but say, "No, it's just some stories. You two are powerful people, I think you don't care about these things."

Lu Zheng smiled, said goodbye, and left the county government office with Qing Wan.

The two of them quickly left the border town and headed west along the road.

Along the way, we saw some caravans coming and going, some going to Chu State and some coming from Chu State.

Lu Zheng and the other man followed a group of carriages and horses at a leisurely pace.

After walking five miles, they arrived at a checkpoint and lined up to be inspected by Chu officials.

The caravan ahead paid taxes based on the goods and number of people, and also gave some extra kickbacks.

When it was Lu Zheng and his companion's turn, Lu Zheng took out two taels of silver.

The Chu official checked the two men's credentials and said calmly, "You two will receive two hundred taels of silver."

Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows, "They are not worth one or two each."

The Chu official said impatiently, "You are cultivators, so naturally you have more."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but look at Chu Li. Knowing that they were not ordinary people, they still asked for more money. This was really outrageous.

Lu Zheng asked curiously, "Who made this rule?"

It’s not that he can’t afford it, he’s just a little curious.

The Chu official said, "The gods say that you, the outsiders, are the most unruly, so naturally we have to charge you more."

Lu Zheng thought to himself, you added the second half of the sentence yourself, right?

But Lu Zheng didn't say much and took out two hundred taels of silver.

The Chu official showed a greedy look on his face. He collected the heavy silver and then stamped his seal and let him go.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan got the documents back and finally passed the customs and entered the territory of Chu.

Lu Zheng walked on the road, looking up at the sky slightly, feeling the changes with his heart, and murmured: "The world of Chu is indeed different."

(End of this chapter)