Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 320 Hot Potato
"Sure enough, when local gods and officials are called in to do the work, things get done quickly!"

Mi Gu sat in the study, drinking the spiritual tea happily.

Now he is God sitting at home, and good news comes from all directions.

In just a few days, some parts of the project that I had ordered have been preliminarily completed. My efficiency is quite fast.

Mi Gu was relaxed and at ease, and told Zhao Mingdao: "Take this note and write it down carefully. I, Mi Gu, have always been clear about gratitude and resentment. Whoever does a good job will be rewarded..."

As for those who are perfunctory and trying to cheat, I'm sorry, but we will have to settle the accounts with them later.

The money that Mi Gu allocated was not so easy to get.

Zhao Ming next to him quickly agreed and said that he would ask someone to pay attention to and monitor the progress in various places.

Mi Gu suddenly thought of something and asked, "It's been three days, and Lu Zheng is still with Lin Sinong?"

"Yes, they didn't leave the courtyard at all." Zhao Ming replied.

Mi Gu was amazed and asked in surprise, "He wouldn't really want to write a book on agriculture, would he? Writing a book is not that easy..."

He then asked, "Lin Rong does have some skills in farming, but he's not that great. Would it really be useful to have Lin Rong teach Lu Zheng?"

"Well..." Zhao Ming thought for a moment and said, "What Lin Sinong has learned is nothing more than various agricultural classics. I'm afraid he can only give Lu Zheng an introduction."

Zhao Ming knew his colleague Lin Rong quite well. He had some abilities, but not much.

Mi Gu touched his chin and said, "I see. I really don't understand why he is willing to spend so much time on these things."

But when Mi Gu thought about the medical book that Lu Zheng had compiled before, he felt that he could not judge it by common sense.

Mi Gu said leisurely, "If he devotes himself to Confucianism, he might become the youngest Confucian scholar in the past hundred years. I remember that the youngest scholar recorded in the past hundred years seemed to be thirty years old."

Zhao Ming whispered, "Kong Liang, the one from the Kong family in Qi. But that was thirty years ago. Now he has become a scholar and teaches at the Jixia Academy in Qi..."

Upon hearing this, Mi Gu said, "You are the descendant of a saint. You are truly remarkable."

The Jixia Academy of Qi State was one of the best academies in the world and was a place where many Confucian and Taoist scholars aspired to study.

The scholars who were able to study at the Jixia Academy were all extremely talented. It was not a place that could be entered just by relying on connections.

The scholars who were able to teach in the Jixia Academy were the most talented and outstanding people in the world.

Zhao Ming added, "Recently, the Kong family has produced two more successful candidates. They are under 30 years old, about the same age as Lu Zheng."

Some children from Confucian and Taoist families with a rich background almost disdain to take the imperial examinations, and instead rely on their real abilities to get promoted.

"Tsk..." Mi Gu sighed, "Among the families that have produced saints in this world, which one has been the most prosperous and enduring, it must be the Kong family, right?"

It is said that dynasties come and go, but families remain forever.

However, there are only a handful of aristocratic families that have truly weathered all the ups and downs and remained prosperous throughout history.

Even their royal family, the Mi clan, had experienced nearly a thousand years of decline.

Being able to become the royal family of one of the nine great countries in the world, they had to endure a lot of hardships in the past.

The descendants of Confucius, who founded Confucianism, have never declined even after going through various dynasties. They are still famous and have produced many talented people.

Mi Gu thought for a moment and asked curiously, "How is the Meng family doing now?"

Zhao Ming replied, "The two direct descendants of Meng Sheng in Qi and Wu are not very outstanding in their younger generations, but compared to other major clans, they have a lot of foundation."

Confucianism, Taoism, Confucius and Mencius have descendants in every country.

However, the largest branch of the Kong family is in Qi, while the two major branches of the Meng family are in Qi and Wu.

The remaining Confucian and Mencian families, however, could not claim to be orthodox.

After all, the inheritance left by the two saints are all enshrined in the master's house.

Mi Gu chuckled and said, "It's not easy to cultivate a righteous spirit! Mencius was good at cultivating a righteous spirit, but his descendants lacked the necessary skills."

Mi Gu paused, then continued, "Tell me, if Lu Zheng were to go to the two Meng families, would they fight for him?"

Mi Gu immediately found this matter quite interesting.

Zhao Ming thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid the other Meng families will also fight for it, but with Lu Zheng's personality, they will all be left empty-handed..."

They are not stupid people. From Lu Zheng's actions, words and behavior, it can be seen that Lu Zheng is not easy to win over.

Although he had received the gift of the Sage Anguo, he was still able to travel around without any constraints.

I'm afraid Lu Zheng doesn't care even if it's an invitation from Confucius and Mencius.

Mi Gu agreed deeply with what he said. Until now, he had not discovered that Lu Zheng had any other pursuits besides serving the people.

It is not easy to win over such a person who has no desires or demands.

"Even if you can't make friends with this kind of person, you can't make enemies with him either." Mi Gu said leisurely, "How come some people can't understand this and actually want to deal with him?"

Zhao Ming blinked, thinking that it was Lu Zheng's hammer that didn't fall on their heads, so naturally he couldn't empathize with those people.

Mi Gu noticed the change in Zhao Ming's eyes and had no idea what his subordinate was thinking.

Mi Gu coughed dryly, "Cough... I haven't done that bad a thing, have I? How can he attack me? Am I not doing things that benefit the people now?" "Your Excellency is diligent in your work and loves the people. Of course, you are not comparable to those people." Zhao Ming couldn't help but say.

Mi Gu rolled his eyes and said, "Your flattery is so insincere!"

He used to like being flattered, but now that he has come into contact with Lu Zheng, he always feels that those flattering words sound like sarcasm.

Zhao Ming stood aside respectfully, silent.

Mi Gu pulled out the booklet Lu Zheng had given him earlier and changed the subject, "Do you think we should implement the policies listed here? There's been a lot of activity in Anguo lately. Even the Emperor An has started to reduce land taxes. I'm afraid he's already reviewed some of these policies. Should we hand this thing over?"

Mi Gu thought that if he kept this booklet, it would not be of much use, so perhaps he could show it to the Emperor of Chu.

Zhao Ming pondered for a moment and whispered, "The national conditions of Chu and Anguo are different, and some of the policies here are difficult to implement. If you submit this booklet to the court, you may win the emperor's favor for a while. But if any policy is really implemented and the interests of certain people are harmed, you will become the target of public criticism! You might even be accused of collaborating with the enemy and causing chaos in the country..."

Since ancient times, every country has had reformers and innovators.

But those who first initiate reforms often do not have a good ending.

If Mi Gu really used the booklet to encourage the King of Chu to reform, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Mi Gu twitched his lips. "It was Lu Zheng who gave me the booklet, and I am considered a traitor?"

Zhao Mingdao said, "It's inevitable that some people will attack you like this."

Mi Gu looked at the booklet in his hand, but it seemed that it was indeed something given by Lu Zheng, so he was reluctant to hand it over, as it would be easy for someone to accuse him.

He muttered quietly, "So this is a hot potato?"

Zhao Ming couldn't help but say: "Sir, you can gamble your life and win a name that will be remembered forever..."

If we count the reformers recorded in history books, we will find that many of them have left their names in history even if they failed.

Mi Gu looked uneasy and sighed, "It's also possible that both my body and my name will be destroyed."

He is tired of living, not that he doesn't want to live anymore. He wants to ruin his reputation.

As for why Lu Zheng dared to act in this way, we cannot generalize.

Others are barefoot, but he is a god wearing gold and silver, so he still needs to take care of himself.

"Forget it, let's take another look." Mi Gu put the book away again.

Since the risk was so great, he gave up.

Zhao Ming couldn't help feeling regretful when he saw this. He was prepared to stand with Mi Chenghuang.

But since the adults have retreated, he can't move forward even if he wants to...

Mi Gu saw a flash of disappointment in Zhao Ming's eyes and couldn't help but say, "Judge Zhao, the situation is unclear now. We still have to proceed steadily and cautiously. We can't take any risks. Let's finish those projects first!"

The water conservancy projects in Yongzhou are beneficial to him, so he naturally cannot give up.

Mi Gu has a scale in his heart to weigh the pros and cons.

I'm fine now, there's no need to take too much risk.

"Your Excellency is right." Zhao Ming had no choice but to respond.

Mi Gu leaned against the bench and said quietly, "I don't want to stay in this remote Yongzhou yet! But it's comfortable enough here, not so busy..."

It's not that he doesn't want to work hard, but it's more comfortable to lie down...

Just then, Lin Rong came to ask for a meeting.

When Mi Gu heard that Lin Rong was coming, he immediately became interested and summoned Lin Rong directly.

"Sir!" Lin Rong saluted respectfully.

Mi Gu smiled and said, "Lin Sinong, how are you teaching Lu Zheng?"

He was a little curious about what Lu Zheng had learned in the past few days.

Lin Rong was stunned when he heard this, then said with shame, "I'm ashamed of you! Master Lu is very knowledgeable. It's not me who is guiding him. Instead, I have learned a lot from him."

"What?" Mi Gu sat up straight, thinking he had misheard.

Lin Rong lowered his head and recounted, "Master Lu has already compiled half of a book on agriculture. It contains a great deal of knowledge. I have read many classics, but have never found such knowledge. I heard that Master Lu also learned from books and revised them. I don't know who wrote the book. Perhaps there are people in An State who understand agriculture better than us in Chu State..."

Mi Gu was incredulous and said, "Are you serious? You mean he knows more about farming than you do and can really write a book on farming?"

"Yes, I have already compiled most of it..." Lin Rong replied, "I am far inferior to Master Lu."

Mi Gu was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zhao Ming next to him, "How come he knows everything?"

Zhao Ming didn't expect Lin Rong to have such a high opinion of Lu Zheng. After all, this Lin Sinong was the one who knew the most about farming in Yongzhou.

Zhao Ming whispered, "I heard that Lu Zheng had traveled around the local villages and interacted with many people. I think he was learning these things at that time."

Mi Gu said expressionlessly, "What do you mean by 'that time'? He only became a scholar of heaven and earth in June of this year, and then came out to travel. It's only been a few months now, how could he have learned so much in a short time? He's already compiled two books, it's incredible..."

(End of this chapter)