Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 321: Four Seasons Agricultural Book
"Uh……"

Zhao Ming recalled the files on Lu Zheng and realized that he had indeed grown very fast.

There are scholars who can suddenly become famous by simply studying Confucianism or Taoism.

But in just a few months, Lu Zheng not only made great progress in his Confucian and Taoist studies, but was also able to compile three books covering different disciplines and write various reform policies. This is quite remarkable.

Zhao Ming suddenly thought of a possibility and couldn't help but ask, "Could he be nominated by those people?"

"Who?" Mi Gu's expression suddenly changed, and he couldn't help but ponder, "They, it seems possible..."

There is no shortage of hidden forces in the world that will add fuel to the fire in the dark and thus disrupt the world's situation.

Hundreds of years ago, when the previous dynasty collapsed, their Mi royal family was one of the driving forces behind the fall.

Mi Gu's eyes flickered as he said quietly, "Lu Zheng's behavior is indeed a bit like what he learned from the Zongheng family."

Zhao Ming whispered, "I don't think he was taught by the same kind of people. He cultivates righteousness and integrity, and has even produced works that are rarely seen by the world. Perhaps there are some hidden scholars supporting him behind the scenes..."

Mi Gu said with a tut, "That's not right. If he was really chosen by some party, why would the sage of Anguo take a fancy to him?"

Mi Gu was a little puzzled. According to the ability of the saint of Anguo, he should be able to see something. Why did he give Lu Zheng the holy gift?
Zhao Ming thought for a moment and said, "I heard that the saint is already old, so I'm afraid he is just following the trend."

"Go with the flow..." Mi Gu muttered to himself, "If this is really the case, the world's structure will change a bit."

Mi Gu's eyes lit up, and he immediately felt that there was going to be a good show to watch.

He looked at Lin Rong and asked, "What is Lu Zheng doing now?"

Lin Rong quickly replied, "He is compiling his agricultural book and said there are still some shortcomings. I am ashamed that I can't help much, so I dare not disturb him there."

Mi Gu asked curiously, "How much benefit can be gained by promoting the agricultural book he wrote?"

Lin Rong's face was filled with excitement as he said, "My humble estimate is that grain production can be increased by at least half, and the people of the world may be able to escape hunger. This book will benefit the people."

Mi Gu was born into a noble family and was not very interested in farming, so he had no idea what Lin Rong was saying.

Zhao Ming, who was standing next to him, gasped and asked in surprise, "How could he possibly go this far?"

Lin Rong nodded solemnly, and his estimate of a half increase in grain production was still conservative.

Mi Gu was puzzled by Zhao Ming's reaction and said, "It's only a half-increase in grain production. Why is it so exaggerated? It can also save the people of the world from starvation."

Lin Rong opened his mouth when he heard this, but hesitated to speak.

Seeing that Lin Rong didn't dare to speak, Zhao Ming spoke frankly, "Your Excellency, you don't know that the people don't have enough to eat, not only because of the weather, but also because of the heavy taxes. If we can really increase grain production by half, with this extra grain, the people will basically have no worries about food."

"Oh……"

Mi Gu nodded in realization, then smiled and said, "The farmland is producing more, so why do you think the court won't increase taxes because of this?"

He doesn't understand farming, but he knows a lot about the people in the court!

If there were a way to increase grain production, the local people might be exploited even more severely.

Zhao Ming frowned when he heard this. What the City God said made sense.

Mi Gu slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back and walked out of the room, ready to meet Lu Zheng.

He values talents, so of course he has to discuss some things with Lu Zhenghao.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were flipping through various agricultural books and texts, checking for omissions and filling in the gaps, and compiling an incomplete agricultural book.

Mi Gu arrived with a smile on his face, stated his purpose, and talked about some pros and cons.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but stop writing and looked straight at Mi Gu.

Mi Gu felt a little uneasy under Lu Zheng's gaze, and couldn't help but say, "I, Mi Gu, have never cared about money and food, but it's hard to say about others. People are greedy... Lu Zheng, you have traveled a lot and seen a lot, so you should understand this principle."

Lu Zheng asked, "Then how does Mi Cheng Huang think the people can benefit from this?"

Mi Gu smiled and said, "You must have sufficient ability. Your agricultural book is well compiled. I would like to recommend you to the Grand Minister of Agriculture. If you can serve under the Grand Minister of Agriculture and help him manage agricultural affairs, it will benefit the people..."

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "I don't have such an idea."

Seeing that Lu Zheng didn't consider it at all, Mi Gu couldn't help but think to himself that it was just as he thought. He really looked down upon the position of a god.

Mi Gu then said, "How about this? I don't care about other places, but I do have some prestige within Yongzhou. I'll help you promote agriculture, and I'll buy the publishing rights for this book. I'd also like to buy a few of the places in the book that can be named. How do you do that?"

Lu Zheng's agricultural book will sooner or later spread throughout the world. This is the general trend. Since this is the case, Mi Gu also had some ideas to gain some benefits for himself.

When Lu Zheng heard what Mi Gu said, he knew that this was the other party's real purpose.

He thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "Mi City God, please tell me in detail."

Mi Gu may not be a very competent City God, but he is a person worth trading with and cooperating with.

Mi Gu smiled and said, "I don't know much about farming. You can handle it. The price is negotiable..."

The two men took the unfinished agricultural book and negotiated for a while, and finally reached a deal.

After signing the contract, Mi Gu asked, "How long will it take you to edit this book?" Lu Zheng said, "I'm afraid it will take some time. I also plan to visit other places to learn more. If Mi Cheng Huang is in a hurry, I can give you a first edition."

"Is that so? That's fine too!" Mi Gu said with a smile, "Let me help you verify first to see if it really works that well."

Lu Zhengdao: "It should be fine."

Lu Zheng paused, then continued, "I've heard that some gods, in order to gain the people's support, deliberately make the people's lives difficult so that they can pray for their blessings..."

"Actually, there's no need to do that. If the gods make the people prosperous, they will naturally remember who did them good. When the people are prosperous, they will have more offspring. With a larger population, the incense will naturally flourish."

"Mi Chenghuang is the righteous god of the Chu State, not some ordinary official or gentry, nor is he some wild god. We cannot be as short-sighted as them, seeking only temporary benefits..."

"If Your Excellency pays attention to the people's livelihood, within a few generations, Yongzhou's population will double. Even remote Yongzhou can become prosperous and have no shortage of worshippers..."

Lu Zheng took a pen and paper and did the calculations. The numbers appeared on the paper, clearly showing the gains and losses of exploiting the people and benefiting the people.

At first glance, it seems that during the years that Mi Gu served as the City God of Yongzhou, the amount of incense he received was much less than what was apparent.

Mi Gu usually likes the art of deduction and knows some mathematics.

He watched Lu Zheng's calculation process and couldn't help but agree with him.

The amount of incense collected every year will not lie, and the mathematical answer will not lie even more.

Yongzhou's population has decreased significantly over the years, which means I've suffered a huge loss! Mi Gu suddenly felt the pain and decided to properly clean up Yongzhou.

According to Lu Zheng's idea, even if he had always been the City God in Yongzhou, he could have been promoted to the fifth level of the Shinto. It was just that his previous method was wrong, and the local wild gods had exploited the people too harshly.

"If I had listened to your words, I would have saved myself decades of detours!"

Mi Gu looked at Lu Zheng and couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Zheng smiled but said nothing when he heard this. As an outsider, it was natural for him to see through some things.

It would be great if Mi Gu was really willing to make some changes.

Mi Gu pondered for a moment, slapped his thigh and said, "You can take your time to edit the book, I won't disturb you anymore, I have to go back and think about it carefully..."

If you want to change the current situation in Yongzhou, it won’t be done by just saying a few words.

The relationships and interests involved are complex and intertwined.

Mi Gu still had to discuss it in detail with his subordinates.

If someone else made similar suggestions to him, Mi Gu might not listen.

But when he saw the rows of data in front of him and learned that he had lost so much money over the years, Mi Gu could no longer sit still.

Mi Gu took Zhao Ming and left in a hurry again.

Zhao Ming followed briskly, looking relaxed and slightly happy.

He had made some suggestions to Mi Gu in the past, but unfortunately they were all difficult to implement.

Now it seems that his way of giving advice is wrong, it has to be Lu Zheng!
Seeing them leave, Qing Wan asked in surprise, "They've lived for so long, why haven't they thought about this?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Some people come from extraordinary backgrounds, so it's hard for them to look down upon certain things. You can't always expect everyone to think so much, even if they are more advanced than you and have lived longer..."

"Oh..." Qing Wan nodded, not quite understanding.

Lu Zheng continued to revise the agricultural book. After racking his brains, he finally completed the preliminary writing of an agricultural book, and then named it "Four Seasons Agricultural Book".

At the same time, a book on agriculture also appeared in Lu Zheng's Wen Palace. It was exactly the same and also not perfect.

There were no strange phenomena in heaven and earth, but the literary aura was greatly enhanced.

Lu Zheng took the book to find Mi Gu.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had brought a first edition and that he looked exhausted, Mi Gu couldn't help but ask, "You've worked so hard. Why don't you take a break?"

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Business is more important. I can only finish this agricultural book to this extent for now. There are some incomplete parts in it, so I can only complete it slowly in the future..."

"It's okay, I can wait." Mi Gu said with a smile, "But you, don't work too hard."

Lu Zhengdao: "I still have to trouble the City God of Mi."

"What's the matter? Just tell me!" Mi Gu said.

Lu Zheng said, "Please ask Mi Chenghuang to send a copy of the medical and agricultural books to Anguo."

Mi Gu's eyes flickered when he heard this, and then he nodded and said, "That's easy. I'll have someone print a few copies and send them to Anguo as soon as possible... By the way, who are you going to give it to?"

It's just two books, not a big deal, and it's not like passing on any shameful information.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to go to great lengths. Just give it to the officials in the border town. As long as the word gets out that it's my book, someone will pick it up."

Mi Gu blinked. It seemed that Lu Zheng had quite a few connections in Anguo! I'm afraid the Anguo court was paying close attention.

(End of this chapter)