Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 417 Clash Between Officials and Merchants
Anguo, Kaiyang County.

It was supposed to be market day in the county town, but there were few people on the streets, and many shops were closed, making it less lively than usual.

Not long ago, Li Yuan implemented new policies, but encountered many obstacles.

Some local wealthy merchants even joined forces with merchants from other places to stop many of their business transactions in Kaiyang County, attempting to put pressure on the government.

Under the new policy, businesses in Kaiyang County will have to pay more taxes and will not be allowed to raise prices, which has caused dissatisfaction among many merchants.

After all, for these shrewd businessmen, earning less is a loss, so why would they want to?
In addition to other policies, many wealthy households united to resist.

Nowadays, it is difficult for ordinary people in Kaiyang County to buy certain goods, and if this continues, the impact will become increasingly significant.

"When Kaiyang County was being developed, these people didn't have to contribute a single copper coin. Now that we're increasing commercial taxes and cleaning up the household registration, they're all jumping up and down in a panic..."

Li Yuan was greatly displeased and angrily said, "You only care about enjoying the benefits, but you're unwilling to give anything in return, huh? Fine, fine, fine."

He was ready to show off his skills and make a good impression, but some people didn't give him any face at all and even thought of joining forces with outsiders to cause trouble and put pressure on the government.
Li Yuanzheng felt that his future career was bright, but he found that someone dared to block his way, which he could tolerate.
"So you're all closing down and not doing business, huh? Do you really think I, Li, am too old to lift a sword?"

Li Yuan's eyes flickered with anger.

Just then, an official came forward to report on the situation inside the city.

Li Yuan's gaze was icy, and he sneered, "Heh, so you want to fight me to the bitter end? Very well, then let's see who has the greater skill..."

"Let's go, let's go take a look around the streets."

Li Yuan couldn't help but look at the person next to him, who was a guard that An Dingyuan had assigned to him.

The guard nodded slightly upon seeing this.

Li Yuan straightened his official robes, swaggered out of the county government office, and went for a stroll on the nearest street.

Many shops were closed, with only ordinary vendors or locals setting up stalls on the roadside to do small business.

The new taxes are not targeted at ordinary people, so they have not affected these people's ability to run small businesses.

Just then, an old man dressed in tattered clothes rushed out and knelt down in front of Li Yuan with a thud.

"Your Honor, I have been wronged!"

The old man cried out loudly, protesting his injustice. His voice was so loud that everyone nearby could hear him clearly.

Upon seeing the old man suddenly blocking his way, Li Yuan couldn't help but step forward and reach out to help him up, saying, "Old man, please get up quickly. What grievances do you have? Please tell me in detail..."

As the old man saw Li Yuan approaching, he couldn't help but kneel and step forward a short distance, and then suddenly raised his hand.

A cold glint flashed in his hand, and a sharp dagger was thrust straight at Li Yuan's heart.

Li Yuan was caught off guard and it was too late to dodge.

A protective barrier of spiritual energy quickly appeared around him; it was the protective talisman he wore close to his body that was working.

However, the sharp dagger flashed and easily pierced through the spiritual energy barrier, tearing through Li Yuan's official robes and reaching the inner protective armor.

The old man, who was kneeling, kicked his leg again and increased the force in his hands, but unfortunately he was unable to break through the armor.

Even though the dagger didn't pierce the inner armor, the powerful force was still transmitted through Li Yuan's body.

Li Yuan was thrown backward by the shock, spitting out a mouthful of blood and fainting on the spot.

The guards nearby then realized what was happening and quickly reached out to slap the old man.

The old man struck successfully, then turned and fled, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

It was only at this moment that the other officers realized what was happening, and they were all shocked and quickly protected Li Yuan.

"There are assassins!"

"Quick, protect the adults!"

……

In an instant, the entire street became a mess.

Under the protection of a group of guards, Li Yuan was hurriedly escorted away.

Before long, Li Yuan returned to his residence and lay on his bed to receive treatment.

"Cough cough..."

Li Yuan woke up slowly, coughed a few times, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth, indicating that his injuries were not serious.

One of them quickly handed over a pill, saying, "Sir, please take this pill to heal your body."

Li Yuan, pale-faced, weakly swallowed the pill and whispered, "Summon County Magistrate Zhou..."

Before anyone could go looking for Zhou Wei, Zhou Wei had already arrived with his men.

He was terrified when he learned that Li Yuan had been attacked by assassins on the street, and he rushed over to check on the situation.

Seeing Li Yuan lying on the bed, barely breathing, Zhou Wei was startled and anxiously asked, "My lord, you..."

Li Yuan's eyes were half-closed, and he said weakly, "I'm not going to die... I trust you to handle things. Go and find out who it is..."

Li Yuan spoke haltingly, and the rest of his words were indistinct.

"Don't worry, sir, leave everything to me."

Zhou Wei responded with a solemn expression.

Soon, the group of subordinates left the room without disturbing Li Yuan's recovery.

Only a few of Li Yuan's trusted confidants remained outside to guard the area.

Li Yuan lay back on the bed, suddenly jolted awake, then raised his hand to touch his chest, grimacing and muttering, "Ouch, that really hurts. Looks like I'll have to rest for a while." "Heh heh, anyone who dares to block my way, I'll deal with them!"

Li Yuan's eyes were cold; he was willing to risk his life to deal with certain people.

To make the act convincing, he not only genuinely injured himself, but also ensured that only he and the two guards sent by An Dingyuan knew the truth, preventing any spies in the government office or residence from leaking the information.

Now, it's up to Zhou Wei and his team to perform.

Go investigate everywhere, arrest some people as suspects and take them to the yamen for interrogation, and see who can keep their composure.

Sometimes you have to be ruthless when it comes to getting things done… Li Yuan’s eyes flickered.

If someone tries to trip him up, don't blame him for resorting to any schemes.

Li Yuan felt that he had already given those people enough face by not sending soldiers to forcibly collect taxes.

In order to maintain stability, he had to cut himself before he could cut others.

Li Yuan rubbed his aching chest, thinking to himself that the officialdom was like a battlefield, and he couldn't afford to be ruthless to himself.

……

In Lu Zheng's little world, Lu Zheng and Qing Wan looked at the puppet again and again.

Lu Zheng also tried to inject spiritual energy into the puppet to make it work, but there was no reaction at all, as if the puppet was already useless.

Qingwan couldn't help but say, "It's a pity we can't use it."

She had seen the puppet being suppressed before, and it was clearly an extraordinary object.

If it can be controlled and used, it can help them do a lot of things.

The puppet's structure was too intricate and complex for Lu Zheng, who was unfamiliar with such matters, to figure out in a short time.

After their search proved fruitless, the two left the small world and went to the Yunmengze Marsh in the outside world.

Lu Zheng concealed his aura and continued his journey on the spirit boat, without encountering any further accidents along the way.

Soon, the two arrived at an island in a small, nimble boat.

The small island is rich in spiritual energy and belongs to the Thousand Machines Sect.

There is also a town on the island, where travelers can rest or buy and sell goods.

The Thousand Machines Sect's weapon crafting skills are unparalleled in Yunmengze, and cultivators often come to the Thousand Machines Sect to purchase weapons.

Lu Zheng happened to be passing by and came here to see if anyone in the Thousand Machines Sect knew the origin of the puppet.

The two landed on the island and found a shop run by the Thousand Machine Sect in the town.

Without saying a word, Lu Zheng took out the puppet and asked about its origin.

The shop manager was taken aback when he saw such a fifth-tier puppet.

Even within their Thousand Machines Sect, such high-quality puppet magic weapons are rarely sold; at least, the shops here don't sell them to the public.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the person in charge..."

The manager was preparing to go and see a higher-ranking person on the island.

Before long, a middle-aged man arrived at a leisurely pace.

Upon seeing the tall, silvery-white puppet, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered slightly as he curiously examined it closely.

After a while, the middle-aged man slowly spoke up: "Although our Thousand Machines Sect sells various puppets, we have never sold a puppet like this. The method of making this puppet is different from the puppets produced by our Thousand Machines Sect..."

"This puppet feels quite old. I haven't seen anything similar in other sects of the Yunmeng Sect. It shouldn't be from Yunmeng Marsh."

"I observe that this puppet is exquisitely crafted and should be the work of a puppeteer."

"Items like these should bear the mark of the person who created them, but I haven't found any..."

Skilled craftsmen who excel at making puppets and specialize in this art of weapon crafting can be called puppet masters, thus illustrating that they are different from ordinary weapon crafters.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Can this puppet still be used?"

The middle-aged man said leisurely, "It's not broken, so why can't it be used? High-level puppets like this have special activation methods; you need to use the corresponding incantation..."

Lu Zheng thought to himself, "This thing is so advanced? It actually requires a special method to activate. No wonder he fiddled with it for so long before, and the puppet didn't react at all."

The middle-aged man looked at Lu Zheng and asked curiously, "You don't know how to activate the incantation? Then where did you get this puppet from?"

Lu Zheng slowly said, "It fell from the sky and tried to kill me."

The middle-aged man looked surprised and doubtful upon hearing this. He himself had difficulty dealing with such a puppet once it was activated, yet a young man was able to subdue it.

However, the middle-aged man didn't think much of it, only that when Lu Zheng encountered this puppet, the puppet didn't have much spiritual energy left to consume.

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue in amazement, "You found it? Why don't you sell this puppet to me, and I'll give you a satisfactory price."

He also wanted to snag such a high-level puppet and take it back to study it carefully.

This puppet probably belongs to some powerful figure, but their Thousand Machines Sect is quite powerful and can afford to take such a treasure.

Lu Zheng shook his head and refused, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm not here to sell, I just want to ask about its origin."

It seems that the person who used this puppet was indeed quite cautious, as even the cultivators of the Thousand Machines Sect did not know its origin.

The middle-aged man tried to persuade him with kind words, but seeing that Lu Zheng really had no intention of selling, he had no choice but to give up.

Finally, Lu Zheng and Qing Wan bought some unusual trinkets at the shop, while the middle-aged man took the opportunity to study the puppet for a while and promised to help Lu Zheng keep an eye out for its origin.

(End of this chapter)